


The Nose Knows

by greatcloudninja



Series: The Nose Knows [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Akuma Battle, Angst with a Happy Ending, Appearances from other class characters, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Identity Reveal, Love Confessions, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Miraculous Ladybug Spoilers, New Miraculous Powers, Original Akuma, Romance, Scents & Smells, Season 2 compliant, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, Sexual Humor, Use of French Terminology, Wet Dream
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 22:59:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 43,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17010783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greatcloudninja/pseuds/greatcloudninja
Summary: Science has shown that the sense of smell is a powerful tool, able to evoke strong memories in people. When Marinette and Adrien realize that their respective partners’ Kwami have very specific affiliated scents, what will it mean for their secret identities?





	1. Chapter 1

"Honey, can you reach that jar of capers for me?" Sabine asked sweetly.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng smiled at her mother, reaching up to grab the jar of capers off the top shelf and place it in her mother's basket. At eighteen years old, Marinette was nearly as tall as her father, though she had definitely inherited some of the Cheng family build as well. Sabine liked to bring her daughter along when she went grocery shopping to give the two of them a chance to spend time together girl-to-girl, and also because the younger Dupain-Cheng could reach items on the highest shelves of the various specialty shops they visited on Saturday afternoons. "What's next on the list?" Marinette asked.

Consulting her shopping list, Sabine checked off the capers before moving down to the next item. "We need to go get the cheese for the _gratin_ ," she said. "Let's go ahead and take these up to the register and we can head to the _fromagerie_."

"Sounds good! Let me carry this for you, _Maman_ , it looks heavy." Before Sabine could protest, Marinette took the basket from her hands, supporting it with both hands to carry the groceries toward the register. Thankfully, the small grocer wasn't super busy; it seemed to be a lull between waves, so they were able to get checked out quickly. Sabine pulled the bills from her billfold to pay the cashier while another associate packed their purchases in the cloth bags Sabine had placed in the bottom of the basket when they came into the store. Marinette picked up the bags and carried them out to the car, placing them in the trunk before pulling out the keys to start the car. "Thanks again for letting me drive, _Maman_!" Marinette said to her mother as they pulled out of their parking spot.

"Of course, Marinette. I know you need the practice before you take your exam." Sabine couldn't believe how her little girl was growing up into a young adult. It seemed like only yesterday little Marinette was speaking her first words and toddling around the bakery. Now she's in her last year of school, learning how to drive, and just generally getting ready to spread her wings and leave the nest for _université_ at the end of the summer.

Marinette was a careful driver, Sabine noted, making sure to follow all the traffic signals and keep her eyes on the road despite the sound of her cell phone chiming from her purse. It was only a couple of kilometers to the cheese shop, but with busy Paris traffic and lack of parking space, it took them about ten minutes to make it there. Once Marinette had perfected her parallel parking job, Sabine stepped out of the car, grabbing an empty bag from the back seat to hold their purchases. Marinette was right behind her, pulling her cell phone out of her purse to check the message she had received. " _Maman_ , I know you and Papa have that dinner party tonight, but Alya wants to know if I can come with her and the girls to see that new romance movie that just came out. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Marinette; I didn't expect you would want to hang around with stuffy old Mme. Mazet and her husband anyway. You go have fun, and tell the girls hello for me."

Marinette smiled and hugged her mother from the side in thanks. The dinner party tonight was one that Marinette's parents hosted once every few months as sort of a neighborhood get together, to give those who lived on their street a chance to mingle and discuss the goings-on in the neighborhood. Marinette had attended several in her time, but it was always awkward to hear people talking about Ladybug as if she wasn't in the room with them. Granted, they didn't _know_ that she was in the room with them, but somehow that just made it worse, especially since some of the older residents didn't particularly approve of a young lady in skintight spandex running around pulling dangerous stunts. She couldn't defend Ladybug too vehemently, lest someone get suspicious of her reasons for supporting the superheroine.

When the two women stepped into the _fromagerie_ , Marinette was instantly assaulted by the unmistakable scent of must and aged cheese. Just inside the door, a shop associate was handing out free samples of product. "Would you like to try a sample of our finest Camembert, _mesdames_?" he asked, gesturing to thin slices of the cheese that had been laid out on small pieces of baguette.

"Oh, thank you! That sounds wonderful—I was just thinking that I could use a bite to hold me over until dinner," Sabine said, taking one of the slices. Marinette reached over to take one as well, but before she could bring the slice of the stinky cheese to her mouth to taste it, her mind was transported elsewhere...

 

_"Master Fu!" Marinette cried out as she ran into the elderly Chinese man's apartment. "Chat Noir has disappeared! I can't defeat Style Queen without him, and the Lucky Charm told me to come here!"_

_Master Fu was sitting on the floor facing away from the door when he spoke. "Don't worry; Chat Noir is fine."_

_"Well, what's he doing then? Why isn't he helping me?" Marinette asked as she crossed the room, approaching Master Fu._

_"He's just lost his Miraculous." Master Fu glanced at Marinette over his shoulder, who stumbled back in shock._

_"What?! He's_ just _lost his Miraculous?" Marinette clutched her head in her hands. "This is a disaster!"_

_"That tomcat's really got himself stuck up in a tree this time." A small, black Kwami said, lying on the floor in front of a plate of Camembert. The slices were nearly as big as his head, but he swallowed one down with ease, his mouth opening wide to accommodate the size of the piece of cheese._

_"Oh—let me guess. You're Chat Noir's Kwami?" Marinette asked, pointing at the small spirit. He flew into the air, approaching the teenage girl, the smell of stinky feet and ammonia from the cheese growing stronger as he approached._

_"Yes! He tends to copy me a bit too much; yet lately, he's been doing really silly things! In five thousand years, I've never experienced such an irresponsible Miraculous owner! As a result, he's lost his ring and it's just me that's able to help you out..."_

 

"Marinette?" The teenage girl snapped out of her reverie, looking over at her mother, whose face showed clear concern for her daughter's lack of attention. "Are you alright? You weren't answering me."

"O-oh, sorry, _Maman_ ," Marinette said, an embarrassed smile crossing her face as she rubbed the back of her head. "Just lost in thought. Are you ready to get the cheeses you need?"

"I've actually already gotten one of the staff to get them for me. I'm just waiting for her to bring them out."

"That’s great! And this is the last stop for today, right?" Sabine nodded in the affirmative, giving her daughter a smile. "I’m glad to hear that. I think the movie starts in a couple of hours, and we were going to go get something to eat first."

"Do you want me to drop you off at Alya's house, then?" Sabine asked. "It is on the way back to the bakery."

Marinette shook her head no. "I want a bit more driving practice first. I'll get us home and then walk from there. I need to grab a couple of things from the house anyway."

"All right." Before Sabine could say more, the clerk came forward with a handful of wrapped packages. Sabine handed her a few bills to cover the cost, and once she had her change, she and Marinette headed out to the car to make their way back home.

* * *

When they made it back to the bakery, Marinette rushed up to her bedroom, letting Tikki out of her purse as soon as she had the trapdoor shut. "Tikki, something weird happened at the store today," she said, the concern clear in her voice and on her face. "I just got completely swept up in a memory from years ago, all because of a little Camembert."

Tikki gave Marinette a reassuring smile, patting her on the hand gently. "It's okay, Marinette! It's just part of being a Miraculous holder. As you get older and gain more experience, parts of your power have a tendency to bleed out into your civilian life. Stronger senses, especially sight and smell, are common with Miraculous holders because it makes detecting danger a lot easier. And there has always been an affiliation between smell and memory."

"So you're saying my sense of smell is stronger because I'm a Miraculous holder? Why couldn't I have gotten better balance?" Marinette whined. "At least then I wouldn't be such a klutz all the time." Marinette had hoped that she would get more graceful as she got older and grew into her more adult body, but she was still the same butterfingers and trip-over-nothing girl she had been since _collège_. It was just that now there was a lot more of her to trip, since her growth spurt the summer she turned 15 that left her one of the tallest girls in her year.

"Don't worry, Marinette," Tikki said gently, trying to soothe her holder's frustration. "This is a good thing. It means you are becoming a better hero!"

"Yeah, I guess so… thanks, Tikki." Marinette gave her Kwami a weak smile. Before she could say more, her phone chirped, a text message from Alya catching her attention. "Oh crap! Adrien is going to be at the movies!" She jumped up from her bed, feverishly running to her closet and starting to tear through it, trying to find something better to wear than her usual Saturday grocery shopping clothes.

* * *

Across town, Adrien Agreste paced back and forth across his bedroom, muttering to himself while his Kwami sat on his computer desk with a plate of cheese. "I'm telling you, Adrien, you're gonna wear a hole in your floor if you keep doing that," Plagg said between bites.

"Thanks so much for the advice, Plagg," Adrien deadpanned. "This is serious, though. I don't know what to do… I still love Ladybug, but…"

"Who is it now? That sword girl again, or someone else?" Plagg asked. He could never keep straight who Adrien was crushing on, other than Ladybug, of course.

Adrien's cheeks went a bit pink as he admitted, "It's Marinette… you know, the girl with the pigtails from school?"

"Oh yeah, the bakery girl, right? I like her. She always brings you food. And since _you're_ always on a diet…" Plagg grinned and patted his belly. "Croissants may not be as good as my beloved Camembert, but they're not bad."

"What are you, 90 percent stomach?" Adrien asked, not for the first time. "Anyway, yes, it's her. I know we've known each other for a while, but recently it feels like… I don't know how to describe it. When I see her, I feel the same way I do when I see My Lady."

"Kind of queasy in your stomach?" Plagg asked.

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Hot and flushed? Hands tingling? Can't think straight?"

"How did you know?"

"Sounds like bad cheese to me." Plagg polished off the last piece of Camembert on the plate before letting out a massive burp. "You should really go get that checked out."

"Plagg! I'm being serious here!" Adrien huffed as he fell onto his bed spread-eagle, staring up at the ceiling. "I don't know what to do. I told Kagami years ago that I wasn't giving up on Ladybug, and I don't want to, but… I really like Marinette, too, and it doesn't feel right trying to date her as Adrien when she only knows half of me."

"If you're looking at it that way, isn't it the same way with Ladybug? She only knows you as Chat Noir; she doesn't know you're Adrien Agreste."

"Yeah, but… Ladybug is the one who doesn't want us revealing our civilian identities. If she said it was okay, I'd tell her who I am in a heartbeat." Adrien rolled over onto his side, staring at his computer screen, which had a picture of Ladybug from Alya's blog as the background. "But I'm willing to wait forever if that's what it takes…" Adrien took a deep breath to let out a sigh, but he wrinkled his nose as he was hit with the sudden odor of his backpack. "Ugh, Plagg, you have _got_ to stop hiding Camembert in my school bag. People are going to notice the smell." He sat up, reaching over the edge of his bed to pick up his bag so he could start cleaning it out… but it wasn't there.

He glanced around the room in confusion, eyes darting from his desk to the bench of his piano, all the way to the doorway before he spotted his bag at the base of his skate ramp. "What the hell?" He stepped over, picking up the bag and giving it a delicate sniff. "Yep, definitely what I was smelling… but how did I smell it from all the way across the room?" he wondered aloud.

Plagg zipped over and phased through the material of the bag, fighting with the zipper from inside until he'd made a large enough hole to pull the hidden cache of cheese through. "For your information, I wasn't _hiding_ it, I was _aging_ it. In your gym socks. Gives it more flavor." Adrien wrinkled his nose again and gagged a little as Plagg popped the slice of cheese in his mouth.

"Have I told you that you're disgusting?" the teen muttered.

"I know; it's a gift," Plagg replied flippantly. "Anyway, I'm stuffed. I'm going to take a nap."

"Wait a minute! You didn't answer my question. What's going on with my sense of smell?"

"Oh, that! Yeah, it's a Miraculous holder thing. You're becoming more attuned to your powers or something. Basically your senses are getting stronger."

"So, what does that mean? I'm just going to be in smell overload from now on?"

"Oh, no, not everything. It's mostly going to be Kwami and Akuma-related stuff. You'll probably notice Ladybug or the other Miraculous holders' smells more, as well as being more aware of them even without having to see them."

"Okay, that's actually really cool. So does that apply to Ladybug, Rena Rouge and Carapace too?"

"Yes to Ladybug, but probably not as much for the other two; just because they haven't been Miraculous holders as long or used their powers as much."

"That makes sense, I guess. I'll have to talk to Ladybug about it the next time we patrol together."

"Mm." Plagg flew up to look Adrien in the eyes before reaching out to poke him in the forehead. "Don't you have something to do before that, though? I distinctly remember you getting a text message from your DJ friend…"

"Oh, shit! I completely forgot!" Adrien rushed over to his closet, flipping through his extensive wardrobe. "What should I wear? He said Alya invited Marinette... "

"I doubt she will care what you're wearing," Plagg called out. Under his breath, he added, "In fact, she'd probably prefer you wear nothing at all."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing! Just lamenting the fact that I ate all my cheese."

"You know, if you keep this up I'm going to start calling you 'pig' instead of Plagg," Adrien teased. He ended up just sticking with his usual outfit, quickly running a brush through his hair and pulling his shoes on before he held open his shirt for his Kwami to hide inside.

"Try it, and see if I respond next time an Akuma shows up," Plagg replied; despite his threatening words, his voice didn't carry any real heat.

"All right, all right, I'll get you some more Camembert after the movie. Think you can handle waiting that long?" Adrien asked.

"I suppose… as long as I can have some popcorn at the movie."

"Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italicized section taken from the English dub of the season 2 episode "Style Queen". I'm not making any money from this!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the school week is always hectic, and the sudden appearance of an Akumatized villain after weeks without an attack doesn't help matters. What happens when Marinette gets injured before she can transform into Ladybug?

Monday dawned bright and early, as it was wont to do; the halls and classrooms of _Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier_ were buzzing with activity. Some students feverishly scribbled the last bits of their weekend assignments, while others caught up with their friends after the weekend before making their way to their respective classrooms.

Marinette walked into her classroom, waving at Nathaniel and Mylène. "Good morning!" she said as she took her seat.

"Good morning, Marinette!" Mylène replied. "How was your Sunday?" Myléne and Ivan had been at the movies with the rest of the group on Saturday. The two had continued to date all through _lycée_ , and according to Mylène, they were looking at finding a _université_ they could attend together.

"Ugh, crazy busy," Marinette replied. "I was working until nearly midnight on the Philosophy project for M. Leroux. I had a hard time staying awake; Aristotle is such a bore."

"Yeah, I had to do mine on Socrates, so I feel your pain. At least they're done, though, right?"

"Exactly. And this week should be easy since we have the practice tests for the _Bac_ next week." Marinette sighed and leaned her head on her arms on top of her desk, closing her eyes in an attempt to catch one more wink of sleep before class started.

However, she quickly perked up when she heard a familiar male voice at the doorway. Lifting her head, she smiled when she saw her desk partner saying goodbye to his girlfriend with a quick peck before he stepped into the classroom. "Hey Marinette! Alya wanted me to give this to you." Nino approached their desk and handed Marinette a flash drive with a white and orange color scheme before taking his seat.

"Oh, this must be the notes I asked for! Thanks, Nino, I really appreciate you bringing them."

"No problem, dude!"

Nino, Nathaniel, and Mylène were the only students from her class at _Françoise Dupont_ that had joined her in the Literature track at _Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier_. Thankfully, some of her other friends were in the school with her, just taking different classes. Adrien, Alya, and Ivan were in the Economics and Social Sciences track, while Alix and Rose were in the Science track. The rest of their group of friends had gone on to other high schools throughout the city—Chloé, for instance, was at a prestigious private school full of international students, where she got to rub elbows with the children of ambassadors and celebrities. Max had gone off to a feeder school for one of the most illustrious engineering universities in the country, planning to go into computer science, while Kim, Sabrina, and Juleka were at another local public school. Marc Anciel, Nathaniel's boyfriend, was also at _Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier_ , but as he was a year behind them, he and Nathaniel didn't share any classes.

"So Marinette," Nathaniel asked from his seat behind the pig-tailed girl. "With the _Bac_ practice tests next week, do you have any study plans this upcoming weekend? Rose and Alix are coming over on Saturday afternoon after class, you're welcome to come if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, Nathaniel, but I've already got study plans with Alya and Nino. We're making a full day of it at my place on Sunday. Right, Nino?"

Nino nodded in agreement. "Yep! I'm bringing the tunes, Alya's bringing the drinks, and you're providing the snacks. And if Adrien can get away from his dad, he said he'd like to come too, if that's okay."

"Oh, y-yeah, that's fine!" Marinette's voice broke a bit as she replied, a hint of a blush crossing her cheeks. Even after actively trying to get over Adrien by dating Luka (which made her realize that the two of them were definitely better suited as friends than in a relationship), she still had feelings for the blond. She might have outgrown the worst of her obsessive crush on the model, but now her feelings were deeper, especially as the two had finally been able to become real friends. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Of course Adrien is welcome to come. I can't imagine he's going to have any problems with the _Bac,_ though, he's so smart."

Nino just shrugged. "I dunno, Marinette, he seemed pretty nervous about it when he asked me to ask you if he could come. He's probably more stressed out about it than he lets on, especially with how busy his schedule's been lately."

"That's fair. I know his dad has been pulling him out of school more recently. I'm just glad Alya shares classes with him so she's been able to help him keep up with his assignments and class notes."

"Don't I know it. It seems like every day the two of them are talking about school stuff and she's constantly giving him files. If I didn't know any better I'd think the two of them were planning something behind my back."

Before Marinette had a chance to reply, the History teacher stepped in to start class. Despite her best efforts to force herself to pay attention, Marinette found herself leaning her head on one hand, the other doodling idly in the corner of her paper as her mind wandered. It had been a while since Adrien had been to her house—she actually couldn't think of any time since _collège,_ when he came over to practice playing _Ultimate Mecha Strike III_ for the video game tournament. (Though he did see her bedroom during the whole Jagged Stone/Troublemaker incident, but that didn't count since he wasn't technically there for it.) When Alya came over to her place to hang out, they usually spent most of the time in her bedroom, but there wasn't exactly a lot of sitting space for four up there. And if they were going to have their books and study materials spread out, the dining room table or living room would make a lot more sense. However, being in a common area would mean more distractions from her mother—or, Lord forbid, her father, as nosy as he was—especially if Adrien _did_ come to the study party. On the other hand, being downstairs would lead to far fewer questions about what they were getting up to, and would make them all more accountable to actually studying for the _Bac_ rather than just goofing off…

A sudden elbow to her ribs caused Marinette to jump, looking around quickly. "Huh?"

"Mlle. Dupain-Cheng, did you hear me?" Marinette flushed as she realized her teacher had been speaking to her.

"I'm very sorry, Mme. Chevalier… could you repeat that?"

The History teacher pursed her lips together as she stood at the chalkboard, obviously displeased with Marinette's lack of attention. "If you aren't going to listen to me, you may step outside until the end of class. And no getting notes from any other students," she added with a glare in Nino's direction.

"I'll pay attention, Mme. Chevalier." Marinette couldn't feel any worse if she tried. She knew that it was a very important time for her to be on top of her studies, as the practice exams were coming up and the _Baccalauréat_ was the one thing that could make or break her chances of getting into university to study fashion design.

"Very well then. Could you explain the reasoning behind Napoléon Bonaparte's decision to invade the Russian empire in 1812?"

"Bonaparte had two goals for the Russian campaign: firstly, his official reasoning for the invasion was that he wanted to liberate Poland from the Russians. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, he wanted to force Tsar Nicholas I to stop trading with the British, which violated the Continental Blockade."

"That's correct." Mme. Chevalier continued on with her lesson on the Russian Campaign.

* * *

"Thank God for free periods," Marinette said as she and Nino left the classroom. "I'm going to go hunt down Alya before next period. You have fun in Music Theory!"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Nino deadpanned. "M. Berlioz has us doing oral presentations this week since the _Bac_ practice tests are all written."

"Ouch. Well, good luck with it!"

"Thanks, Marinette. See you in English class!"

Marinette ducked into a nearby bathroom on her way to find Alya, waiting for the other girls to filter out before she was left alone as the next class period started. Once Marinette was sure she had the room to herself, she opened her purse to let Tikki out. "Tikki, did you hear what Nino said? Adrien wants to come over to my house on Sunday!"

"That's great, Marinette! I'm sure the four of you will have a lot of fun studying for your test!" Tikki smiled at her holder. "Just make sure you leave me some cookies!"

"Of course," Marinette said with a grin. "In fact, before they come over I'll make sure to bring some up to you, fresh out of the oven."

"Oh, Marinette, that's so nice of you to offer!" Tikki giggled.

Marinette opened her mouth to say something else when a sudden rumble shook the school. "An Akuma? But there hasn't been one in weeks…"

Tikki zipped into Marinette's purse. "You'd better go out and double check. You don't want to transform if it's nothing, but better to be safe than sorry."

Marinette nodded. "You're right." Closing her purse to hide her Kwami, Marinette pushed the door to her stall open, but before she could get out of the bathroom, another sudden shock wave rocked the school, knocking her off her feet and sending her careening head-first into a porcelain sink.

Hearing the thud, Tikki cried out, "Marinette? What happened?" When her holder didn't answer, Tikki phased through the purse. She gasped when she saw Marinette's lifeless body. "Oh no! Marinette, wake up!" She flew up to Marinette's head, checking for her pulse and looking for any signs of injury. There was a bump rapidly coming up on her forehead, but no blood, and her pulse was strong. Unfortunately, with Marinette being unconscious, there was no way for her to call on Tikki's power to transform.

Another rumble shook the school once again, this time accompanied by screams and a roar of pain and anger. Tikki partially phased through the bathroom door to peek outside, seeing a large, hulking form covered in what appeared to be gemstones. " ** _I am Gemocide! Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir, or I'll turn the whole school into crystals and crush them into dust!_** " the Akuma cried out.

Past the akumatized villain, on the other side of the school courtyard, a blonde and a brunette were sneaking away from their classroom, ducking underneath windows to avoid being spotted by anyone inside the other classes. "Come on, Alya, you know it's not safe!" Adrien hissed, following his best friend's headstrong girlfriend as she tried to get closer to the villain, cell phone in hand.

"Look, Adrien, you don't have to follow me if you don't want to. I'm going to get this scoop for the Ladyblog! This is the first Akuma attack we've had in weeks!" Alya gave Adrien her patented "just-try-to-stop-me" look as she crept closer to the courtyard. 

Shaking his head, Adrien let Alya get a few steps ahead of him before he ducked down an empty hallway that led to a supply closet. He opened the closet door as quietly as possible in an effort not to catch Alya's attention. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Plagg zipped out of his shirt pocket. "It's about time! I was starting to get really bored," Plagg complained.

"Quit your belly-aching," Adrien muttered. "Plagg, claws out!"

Moments later, after a flash of green light, Chat Noir popped out of the supply closet, launching himself toward the main area of the school. However, before he could even get out of the hallway, he was stopped short by the sight of a tiny red creature with black spots floating in the air in front of him. He felt an odd sense of recognition when he saw the thing, the smell of warm cookies and sugary sweets filling his nostrils. It took him a moment to realize why it looked so familiar.

"You're Ladybug's Kwami, right? What are you doing here? Where is she?"

The tiny pixie-like creature nodded in confirmation. "Yes, my name is Tikki. Ladybug will be here shortly, but I found a student that needs help. She's in danger!"

"All right, I'm here. Lead the way!" Tikki flew back down the way she came, Chat loping along on all fours in an effort to keep up with the surprisingly speedy Kwami. When they came to the women's restroom, Chat stopped just outside the doorway. "Um, Tikki, I don't know if you know this, but I'm not allowed to go in there…"

"I think in this situation it's okay for a superhero to go into the girl's bathroom!" Tikki said, crossing her arms over her chest. "The girl in here is one of Ladybug's close friends and she needs your help!"

"All right! All right, I'm going." Adrien pushed the door open, his eyes darting around but mostly staying near the ceiling until he confirmed that there wasn't anyone screaming at him to get out. When he looked down, he gasped at the sight of Marinette lying unconscious on the floor, a nasty-looking goose egg bruising on her forehead. "Oh god! Marinette!"

"You know her?" Tikki asked curiously.

"Y-yeah, I've—I mean, there was that incident with the Evillustrator a few years ago, and I've seen her a few times since then…" Chat was thankful that his mask hid his cheeks, otherwise he knew they would be as red as Tikki's skin. He was _not_ going to admit to Ladybug's Kwami how often he stopped by Marinette's balcony just to check in on her. "What happened?"

"It looks like she hit her head while she was in here, probably from the initial tremors from the Akuma. You need to get her out of here before it destroys the whole school! It seems really angry about something here specifically."

"You're right about that. I heard what the Akuma said. It's not likely to leave here any time soon, so I can get Marinette to safety and then come back and keep it busy until Ladybug gets here."

Tikki nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. If Ladybug shows up while you're gone, I'll be sure to tell her where you are."

"Thanks. Her house isn't far from here, so I'm just going to take her straight there and come back." Tikki nodded again in confirmation. "Stand back—or, well, float back, I guess?" Adrien gently picked up Marinette in his arms before carrying her toward the window. With a cry of " _Cataclysm!"_ he melted the window, giving him a clear exit to get out of the school as quickly as possible. In his focus on getting Marinette out safely, he didn't notice Tikki phasing back through Marinette's purse, returning to her usual hiding spot.

Traveling by rooftop, it took Chat barely two minutes to make it to _Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie. _ He landed smoothly on Marinette's balcony, tugging open the trapdoor, which was thankfully unlocked—he didn't have another charge of his Cataclysm to open it if it had been barred from the inside. He shifted Marinette's body in his arms to get her inside, settling her down on her bed before gently tracing a clawed hand over her face. "I'm just trying to get a better look at her injury," he muttered, as if trying to convince himself that his motives for touching her were entirely pure and not at all driven by his crush.

"Mm… Adri...en..." Marinette let out a soft, pained moan, shifting slightly on the bed, making Chat jump in surprise. _Did she just say my name?_ he thought to himself. His eyes darted around, as if expecting someone to be watching; thankfully, it seemed the coast was clear.

He hopped down out of the loft, digging around on her desk for a pen and paper. He found a piece of drawing paper and a green pen, tracing out a rather crude paw print shape to let Marinette know that he had been the one to bring her home. He climbed back up into the loft, tucking the paper into Marinette's hand, giving her one last quick check to make sure there wasn't anything more serious wrong with her. "You'll feel better once Ladybug's magic has done its work, Princess," he murmured to her. Biting his lip, he reached for her other hand to bring it to his lips… only to be reminded of his imminent de-transformation by an incessant beeping. _"Shit."_ Chat reached up to pull himself out of the skylight, practically flying up onto the roof to release his transformation. "Plagg, claws in."

When Plagg had re-materialized in front of Adrien, he looked angry. "Where are we? Why aren't we fighting the Akuma?"

"Look, Ladybug's Kwami found me—"

"Tikki was at your school? Why wasn't she with Ladybug?"

"She said Ladybug was on her way, but Marinette was hurt, I couldn't just leave her lying in the bathroom unconscious!"

"So you abandoned the Akuma to save your girlfriend?" Plagg accused, crossing his arms in frustration.

Adrien had the decency to blush at that. "She's not… Tikki asked me to save Marinette, okay? She told me that Marinette and Ladybug were close friends and that Ladybug would want me to make sure Marinette was safe."  

"That… okay, yeah, that sounds like something Tikki would say. She's always been a bleeding heart."

Adrien pulled a piece of Camembert out of his pocket, handing it to Plagg to recharge his power. "Just eat quick so we can go back to school and take care of that Akuma, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just tell me one thing, kid."

"What is it?"

"Did you feel her up?"

"Oh god—Plagg, _no_!" Adrien's face practically went up in flames from his embarrassment. "She's _unconscious!_ I wouldn't do that to her! It wouldn't be right!"

Plagg just gave Adrien a shit-eating grin before eating the piece of stinky cheese. Within moments, Adrien called out his transformation phrase again and Chat Noir was off toward _Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier._

* * *

Down in Marinette's bedroom, the young woman slowly came to consciousness, groaning in pain as she realized her head was throbbing. "What… what hit me?" she mumbled, squinting and rubbing her forehead. She hissed at the tenderness of the goose egg just along her hairline.

"You fell and hit your head on a bathroom sink at school," Tikki explained, floating just inches from Marinette's face. "Luckily, Chat Noir showed up and he was able to bring you home. I made sure the skylight was unlocked so he could get you inside."

"Chat… Noir? He came into my room? Wait, he saw you? Did he—" Tikki shushed Marinette before she could freak out too much.

"No, no, he doesn't know you're Ladybug. I told him that Ladybug was on her way and would be at the school soon, though, so he's going to be looking for you. We need to hurry."

"Tikki, I don't think I can fight in this condition. My head is killing me—and if I passed out, what if I have a concussion?" Marinette lifted both of her hands to rub at her face, only to realize she was clutching a piece of paper in one hand. Looking down at it, she saw a green paw print along with a short note:

> _You're safe, Princess. Feel better!   —C.N._

Marinette flushed red and quickly tucked the piece of paper under her blanket. Nope, not thinking about that right now. She looked up, realizing Tikki was speaking to her, and flushed even more. "Sorry, Tikki, I didn't quite catch that, what did you say?"

"I said, when you transform, the magic will temporarily heal your head, so you will be able to fight. And then your Lucky Charm should do the job permanently, since the injury happened after Hawk Moth created the Akuma."

"Oh! Well, that's a relief. All right then, Tikki, spots on!" Tikki was sucked into Marinette's earrings as she transformed into Ladybug, dashing up onto her roof and swinging her way back to school.

When she dropped onto the roof of the _lycée,_ Ladybug saw Chat Noir dodging blows from an absolutely massive, hulking figure coated with what appeared to be large chunks of raw diamond. As if drawn to Ladybug by some mysterious force, Chat looked up at her, his face breaking out in a wide grin. "There you are, Bugaboo! I was getting worried that you were going to stand me up!"

"I'm sorry, _Chaton,_  I got a little tied up," Ladybug said with a grin, launching her yoyo at the villain in an effort to restrain him. Rather than winding around him, however, the Akumatized villain grabbed onto the string, pulling Ladybug off the roof toward him instead. Chat launched into action at that moment, distracting the villain with his baton to give Ladybug a chance to land properly and retract her yoyo. The baton seemed to do nothing against the Akuma's crystalline armor, but the blow did at least distract him long enough to allow Chat and Ladybug to meet up on the ground.

"You seem to be in a _paw_ -fully good mood today, My Lady, if you're cracking jokes like that," Chat commented as the two of them launched into a synchronized attack. Within just a few minutes, the two were on opposite sides of the Akuma, hedging him in and keeping him from escaping past the boundaries of the courtyard.

"I'm just glad to get to spread my wings a bit, you know?" Ladybug replied. "So where do you think the Akuma is at?"

"Right under his head, there's a crystal that's a different color from the rest. It kind of looks like a bow tie?"

"I see it. _Lucky Charm!"_ Throwing her yo-yo high in the air, she was rewarded with a crossbow loaded with a flat-headed bolt. Looking around in confusion, she realized that there was a high ledge that would give her a clean shot at knocking that particular crystal off of the Akuma's body, as long as… "Chat, keep him busy!" Ladybug launched herself into the air with her yo-yo before her partner could respond.

"Of course, Bugaboo!" Chat said, turning his attention fully back to Gemocide. "Now then, it's just you and me, buddy…"

It took Ladybug a minute to figure out how to use the crossbow and another to line everything up properly. She took a deep breath in through her nose and out through her mouth, waiting for just the right moment… _there!_ She squeezed the trigger between breaths; luckily, the bolt fired true, the wide, flat head managing to hit the crystal bow tie just so to send it flying into the air.

" ** _NO!!!_** " Gemocide screamed as Chat scooped up the piece of crystal. " ** _Give that back! If you don't give that back right now, I'll kill you and take your Miraculous!_** "

" _Cataclysm_!" A moment later, a dark butterfly fluttered out of the broken gemstone. Ladybug, who had jumped back down to ground level, swiped at it with her yo-yo, capturing it and purifying it.

"Bye bye, little butterfly, _"_ she said as she released the purified butterfly. She tossed the crossbow into the air with a cry of " _Miraculous Ladybug_!" Within moments, the magical swarm of ladybugs had set everything to rights, repairing the damage to the school and restoring the poor man's bow tie to its proper place at his neck.

"Are you all right, sir?" Ladybug asked the gentleman, a rather scrawny looking fellow with curly hair and over-sized glasses.

"O-oh, yes, I'm fine… thank you for that, I'm so embarrassed…" He looked down, twiddling his thumbs, not wanting to meet Ladybug's eyes.

"If you don't mind us asking, what happened?" Chat asked.

"W-well, you see, I'm a geologist, and, I applied for a job at this school, but I was turned down after my interview... "

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Ladybug said, placing a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "But I'm sure that if you keep looking, you'll find the right job for you soon!"

"Y-you're right… I just get so nervous… at job interviews… and then I m-mess up… my words…"

Ladybug couldn't help but feel bad for the man. "I know how you feel… Sometimes, you can never figure out the right words to say, and you end up tripping over your own tongue, right?"

"Y-yes! Exactly! How did you overcome your problem?"

"Well… honestly, I still struggle with it sometimes. I just had to remind myself to stay calm, slow down, and not let my mouth move faster than my brain. Writing down what you want to say beforehand helps, too, if you can do that."

"I'll have to remember that." Now that he was relaxing a bit, the man was speaking much more easily. He even smiled at the two teenage superheroes. "Thank you again. You two should get going, though; the police will be here any minute, I'm sure."

"You're right." As if on cue, Chat and Ladybug's Miraculous both beeped in warning. The two of them made their way up onto the roof, planning to depart in opposite directions; but before they could leave, Chat called out, "What really took you, Bugaboo?"

"I had a personal matter I needed to take care of, Chat. Unlike _you_ , I don't lose my Miraculous." Chat flushed at the memory of what Plagg had told him in the aftermath of the Style Queen incident, how he'd used that excuse to explain why Chat couldn't help fight the Akuma. For some reason, he had a sinking feeling in his gut, like Ladybug wasn't telling him the whole truth; but he couldn't very well call her on it without any proof, so he held his tongue for the moment.

"By the way…" Ladybug continued, "thank you for saving Marinette. Tikki told me what you did."

"Of course, My Lady. Any friend of yours is a friend of mine! It was my _purr-_ leasure to be of assistance." He gave Ladybug a grand, sweeping bow, earning a giggle and a soft smile in response. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a very hungry Kwami to take care of. _Adieu,_  My Bugaboo!"

" _Adieu, Chaton,_ " Ladybug replied warmly before the two of them went their separate ways. Both of them ducked into alleyways on opposite sides of the school to de-transform, neither of them the wiser of just how close they were to discovering each other's biggest secrets.

As soon as Marinette made it back into the school and found her class, Nino wrapped his arms around her in a panic. "Marinette! What happened? No one could find you! Someone said they saw you in the bathroom, but there was no trace of you. I texted Alya to see if you were with her but she said she had no idea where you were and you weren't answering your phone. We were freaking out!"

"Sorry Nino! I wasn't feeling well, so I actually went home during my free period… I heard there was an Akuma though!"

"Yeah, it was crazy. He kinda reminded me of—"

Marinette cut him off, replying, "Stoneheart, right? When Ivan was Akumatized?"

"Yeah! The big rock dude! How did you know?" Nino asked.

"O-oh, I just, you know, heard people in the halls talking about it! They said he was covered in crystals or something?"

"Yeah, and he was huge! Like, easily three meters tall." Nino reached high above his head, waving his hand in an effort to express the comparative size of the villain.

"Wow, that's crazy! I'm glad Ladybug and Chat Noir were able to stop him."

"Definitely." Nino nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped around Marinette from behind and a cheek mashed against the back of her head. "Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Don't scare me like that!" Alya cried out.

"Alya, I'm fine. I wasn't even here for the Akuma attack. I had a free period and I wasn't feeling well so I went home for a bit to rest."

"Oh. Well, you should have told me you were leaving, girl! Then I wouldn't have worried about you."

"I'm glad you're feeling better," Adrien said, walking up behind Alya.

"Yeah, much better actually! I think I just needed a little nap, that's all," Marinette said, plastering a weak smile on her face. "Adrien, did you see the villain?"

"Actually, I kinda ended up hiding in a supply closet," he replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was going to follow Alya, but I chickened out…"

"That's probably for the best, dude," Nino pointed out. "You know how your dad gets when you're around Akumas."

"Yeah, fair. Hopefully he won't threaten to make me transfer schools again…" Adrien grimaced at the memory of how three Akumatized villains attacked the school within a week last year and his dad threatened to pull him out if the headmaster didn't do something to improve the negative attitudes of the students and staff.

"Well, just tell him that you kept yourself safe, and that should be fine, right?" Marinette asked.

"Hopefully… We'll see though. Anyway, we should all be getting back to class."

"Yeah… I'm glad you're all okay," Marinette said, giving Adrien in particular a meaningful look.

"You too, Marinette. I hope you feel better the rest of the day."

"I'll talk to you later, girl!" Alya said. "See you at lunch!"

"See you!" Marinette turned to Nino. "Shall we head on to the dreaded Philosophy class?"

"Yeah, I guess so. God, I'm ready for this class to be over for the year. M. Leroux is a total asswipe."

"Me too!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and her friends get the day off from school, so they move up their study session. Marinette and Adrien get closer, but they can't help noticing some strong smells coming from the others' general direction.

Tuesday morning, Marinette was greeted by the most amazing news she could have received. Okay, maybe not—it wasn't Adrien Agreste calling to declare his undying love and asking her to marry him and have three kids and a pet hamster. However, there was a message on the home phone from the school saying that due to the Akuma attack and the upcoming _Bac_ practice exams, the headmaster was giving all of the _Terminale_ students the day off to study on their own.

Within five minutes of receiving the message, Marinette's phone rang with Alya's ringtone. "Hey, Alya!" she said excitedly when she answered the call.

"Hey girl! Did you get the call from the school yet?" Alya asked.

"Yeah, just a few minutes ago. Do you and Nino want to do that study session today instead of waiting until Sunday?"

"I was just going to suggest that, actually!"

Marinette smiled; sometimes her friend was so easy to predict. "I guess I should get started on those cookies, then. What do you say we get started around eleven? Then we can break for lunch around 12:30 before we get back into it for the rest of the afternoon."

"That sounds perfect. I'll let Nino know to call Adrien and see if he's free. Nino did mention that to you yesterday, right?"

"Oh, yeah! That sounds good! If Adrien isn't busy, he's more than welcome to come." Marinette mentally patted herself on the back for not stuttering once in that entire sentence.

"Wow, you actually sounded like a normal human being when you said that! I'm proud of you, Marinette!" The pig-tailed girl could practically hear the sarcastic humor dripping from Alya's voice as she spoke.

"Har har, very funny. You know I've gotten better about that." Marinette started back up the stairs toward her bedroom so that she could shower and get changed for the day. "I'll see you guys at eleven, okay?"

"All right, all right. See you then. And you'd better have some croissants for M. Bottomless Stomach."

Marinette chuckled at the fond exasperation in that sentence. Ever since his growth spurt over the summer, when he gained six inches over the span of three months, Nino had shown himself to have a prodigious capacity for eating, especially anything buttery or high in carbohydrates—he was doubly dangerous around Tom's famous croissants. "I'll see what I can snag from downstairs. Maybe we can help to clean out some of Papa's older stock so he can make room for fresh bread." Though there was little to be done for a day-old baguette other than turn it into pigeon food, Marinette often ate the previous day's croissants at breakfast with some hot chocolate.

"That should work. Anyway, I've got to go help get the twins into the bath. See you in a bit!"

"Have fun with that! Bye!" With that, Marinette ended the call as she pushed open the trapdoor into her bedroom. Tikki was just stirring from the little bed Marinette had made her, perched on a small shelf up in the loft. "Good morning, Tikki! The headmaster cancelled school today, so Alya and Nino are coming over today to study." Marinette spoke as she rifled through her closet, trying to figure out what to wear for the day.

"Good morning, Marinette. That sounds like fun. Are you still going to make cookies?"

"Of course! And I haven't forgotten my promise; you'll get the first one, fresh out of the oven."

Tikki flew down from her bed, practically dive-bombing her holder with glee. "Thank you, Marinette! That's so nice of you!"

Marinette smiled and returned the tiny Kwami's hug as best she could. "It's really no big deal, Tikki! It's the least I can do." Finally deciding on a pair of black leggings and a loose hooded sweatshirt, Marinette gathered up the rest of her clothes and headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

After her daily ablutions, with her signature pigtails replaced by an artfully messy top knot, Marinette proceeded downstairs. With the sweatshirt she had chosen, Tikki could hide in the folds of her hood rather than being restricted to the bedroom for the day. "Are you hungry?" she asked her Kwami. "I'm going to go downstairs and see if Papa and _Maman_ have some spare croissants."

"I'm fine, but you go ahead! I'll stay up here." Tikki smiled and nuzzled under Marinette's chin before swooping up to sit on the top of the refrigerator, where she could stay in the kitchen but be reasonably hidden.

"All right, I'll be back in just a minute!" Marinette traded out her house slippers for a pair of espadrilles to head down into the bakery. "Good morning, _Maman_ , Papa!"

"Good morning, Marinette!" Sabine said, turning her head to greet her daughter as she handed a customer their change.  

Tom was just pulling a pan of baguette loaves out of the oven, setting them aside to cool enough to be handled. "Good morning, Marinette. We heard that the school was closed for the day because of the Akuma attack yesterday," he said. "What do you plan to do with your day off?"

"Alya and Nino are coming over to study, like we were planning to do Sunday. Do you have any leftovers from yesterday still available that we can have to snack on?"

"Let me take a look," Tom replied, heading back into the industrial kitchen.

Sabine turned around fully to face Marinette. "That sounds like fun. You kids have a good day, all right?"

Marinette smiled and nodded. "We'll do our best, _Maman_!"

"Any chance of a certain blond young man showing up?" Tom asked as he came back from the kitchen with a brown paper bag. Marinette flushed red at the question, looking down at her shoes in embarrassment.

"I don't know, Papa… It depends on what Adrien's father has on his schedule for the day."

"Well, if he does come, make sure he behaves himself." Her father puffed out his chest in an effort to look tough and menacing, though with his face half-covered in flour, it just made him look a bit ridiculous.

"Papa! Don't be embarrassing." Tom grinned as he handed the bag to Marinette, who opened it up to reveal at least a dozen croissants and _pains au chocolat_. "This is perfect. Thanks so much!"

"Of course, dear. If you plan to leave the house, just come let us know, okay?" Sabine asked.

"Will do! Love you!" Marinette gave each of her parents a peck on the cheek before running back upstairs. "Tikki, I'm back! Are you ready for some cookies?"

"Absolutely!" Tikki flew down to sit on top of Marinette's bun as she stepped into the kitchen, making her way to the sink to wash her hands before getting out her ingredients.

* * *

By the time 11:00 rolled around, the whole main floor of the Dupain-Cheng residence smelled like vanilla and warm chocolate. Marinette was just pulling the last tray of cookies out of the oven when she heard a knock at the door. "Oh! That must be Alya and Nino! Quick, go and hide, we'll be right up," she said to Tikki, giving her Kwami a quick pat on the head after setting the tray down on top of the range. As soon as Tikki had zipped upstairs to Marinette's room, she headed over to open the door, stopping short at the sight of arresting green eyes. "Hi…"

"Hey Marinette! Look what the cat dragged in!" Marinette's gaze was torn away from Adrien to look at Alya behind him, missing the way his eyes seemed to bug out at the comment. "Oh my god, it smells _amazing_ in here! Marinette, you've outdone yourself!"

"Thanks!" Marinette said with a smile. "I just finished baking off the last tray, they just need to cool for a few minutes. There are some that are ready to eat over on the end of the counter, and I was able to get some leftovers from the bakery this morning too. I have butter croissants and _pains au chocolat_. Help yourself if you're hungry!"

"I'm starving," Nino said from the back of the group, walking into the house past the other three to get a croissant. "And your parents seriously make the best croissants in town." He promptly shoved half of the curved pastry into his mouth, spewing crumbs everywhere as he continued, "Do you have any—oh, here it is." He spotted the jar of jam on the counter next to the plate, opening it up and smearing some of it on the other half of his croissant before he polished it off. "God, these are so good."

"You're hopeless," Alya said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly as she approached her boyfriend. "At least wipe your mouth before you make a mess of yourself."

Adrien and Marinette watched the tableau in front of them from the doorway, Marinette giggling a little. "They're like an old married couple, aren't they?" she observed.

"Yeah. They're definitely made for each other." He smiled faintly at Marinette, his eyes catching on her cheek. "Oh, um, you've got a little…" He gestured to her cheekbone, where a smear of flour was dusted across her skin.

"Oh! Sorry," Marinette flushed a bit, reaching up to try to brush it away, but without seeing her reflection, she couldn't get all of it off.

"Let me," Adrien replied softly, reaching up to run his thumb over her cheekbone gently.

Marinette couldn't breathe as his fingers touched her skin. Her eyes were frozen on his face, taking in his perfectly symmetrical features, his long, delicate lashes and the endless green depths of his beautiful eyes… but the magical moment was interrupted by a rather pungent aroma reaching Marinette's nostrils. She recoiled instinctively from the almost ammoniac smell, turning away and stepping out of the doorway to let Adrien come inside. The odor wasn't necessarily strong, but it was definitely noticeable. It was also oddly familiar, niggling at the back of her mind like a forgotten dream. "A-anyway!" she said loudly, brushing the thought aside, "Let's head upstairs and we can get started on studying! Alya, do you want to grab the plate of cookies while I get us some drinks?"

"Sure!" Alya shifted her backpack to her other shoulder before grabbing the plate of cookies in one hand and the plate of croissants in the other. Nino picked up the jam and the butter knife, as if afraid that they would disappear if he didn't bring them himself. 

"Is there anything I can help with?" Adrien asked, following Marinette as she walked into the kitchen.

"Um, if you want to help me carry drinks, that would be good…" She opened the door of the refrigerator, pulling out several bottles of mineral water and juice.

"Of course, I'd be happy to." He smiled at her as he picked up the mineral water bottles, arranging them carefully in his arms. Noticing that Alya and Nino had already made their way toward the stairs, he stepped closer to Marinette, though he was conscious of her position near the refrigerator and made sure not to corner her without any way to exit. He didn't want to make her feel nervous. "Marinette, I, uh… I hope I didn't cross a line a minute ago… I was just trying to help…"

"It's fine!" Marinette said quickly, plastering a big smile on her face as she grabbed a large glass bottle of lemonade from the refrigerator. "It's no big deal. I just, um, y-your hands were a little cold, that's why I jumped… I hope that you weren't offended."

"No, not at all! I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, I'm fine!" She pulled some plastic cups out of the cupboard, stacking them upside-down on top of the lemonade bottle to carry them more easily. "This should be plenty to drink. Are you ready to head upstairs?"

"Yeah, let's go on up there, I'm sure Nino and Alya are wondering what's keeping us." Adrien allowed Marinette to leave the kitchen ahead of him, following behind her just in case her notorious clumsiness were to rear its ugly head.

Thankfully, Adrien had no reason to worry, as they made it up the stairs to her bedroom completely unscathed. (He did, however, quite enjoy the sight of her long, shapely legs in her fitted leggings as she climbed the stairs ahead of him—not that he was intentionally looking! It just so happened that due to the difference in their positions as they headed up the stairs, he could see the curve of her ass under the hem of her sweatshirt.)

In anticipation of everyone coming over to study, Marinette had cleaned off her desk as best she could to give them more space for food and books, as well as setting up an extra folding table she usually reserved for cutting fabric. Alya was already reclining on Marinette's chaise lounge with Nino sitting by her feet; that left the desk chair for Adrien and the bed for Marinette herself. "Wow, Marinette, your room looks almost exactly how I remember it," Adrien commented as he sat the bottles of water on the folding table. Glancing about, he flushed just a bit when he noticed the green paw-print note from the day before pinned to the wall behind Marinette's computer.

"Yeah, it hasn't really changed much since _collège,_ " Marinette admitted. "The biggest change, I think, is my new bedspread."

"Plus all the pictures are gone," Alya said pointedly, unapologetically staring at Adrien as she spoke.

Marinette spluttered in embarrassment. "Alya! Did you really have to bring that up?"

"Oh, you mean the pictures of my photo shoots?" Adrien asked. "You said you had them up because of the clothes, right?"

"Yes! That's exactly why I had pictures of you on my wall! Because you're my friend and I really admire your dad's fashion line, so… I sort of had them hanging up as inspiration…"

"But now Chat Noir is your inspiration?" Adrien asked, gesturing to the note pinned up. Marinette's cheeks flamed up even more, if possible, her whole face nearly scarlet.

"W-well, you see… what happened is…" Marinette struggled to think of a good story; considering she'd told them all that she was home the whole time the Akuma attacked yesterday, she couldn't well tell them now that Chat had saved her. "I've had that since—since Nathaniel was Akumatized back in _collège_! Remember when he was the Evillustrator? Chat gave me that note then. I lost it a while back and I just recently found it while I was cleaning out some old things from my room, so I pinned it up on the wall so I wouldn't lose it again."

Adrien tried not to react to the bald-faced lie, carefully schooling his face into an expression of mild curiosity. Clearly Marinette had something she was trying to hide, but he couldn't put his finger on what it might be. He remembered that she'd told them yesterday she went home on her own and missed the Akuma attack entirely, but he couldn't call her out on the discrepancy when he'd claimed to have hidden in a supply closet. If he said anything about her lie, he'd basically be admitting that he himself was Chat Noir. "I didn't realize it meant that much to you, for you to be hanging it up so you don't lose it again."

"W-well…" Marinette flushed red again, the tips of her ears burning from her embarrassment. Having the man she loved imply that she cared for her partner was probably the most morifying thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life. "I mean, it's a note from a superhero—wouldn't anyone want to keep something like that? If you got something from Ladybug, wouldn't you keep it?"

This time, it was Adrien's turn to flush, thinking of the Valentine's card from years ago he'd received from his Lady. It was still hidden in the drawer of his computer desk, though he didn't pull it out nearly as often as he used to. "I mean, I guess I would, sure. But I'd probably store it somewhere safe, rather than having it out on display."

"If it was some official autograph, I would too, but this is just a note from a friend. Anyway, this isn't studying! We need to get to work."

"Yeah, you're right. Let's get to work." The four teens each started to unload their books and binders, and soon the floor was strewn with study materials as the teens worked through their subjects. Fortunately, there was a lot of overlap in the curriculum between the Literature track and the Economics/Social Sciences track, so the four of them were able to work as a group on a lot of the material despite not having the exact same teachers.

* * *

By four in the afternoon, all of the food and drinks that they'd brought up to Marinette's room had been wiped out, nothing but empty plates and cups remaining. "I don't know about any of you, but I need a break," Marinette said, rubbing her eyes, the beginnings of a tension headache forming from looking down at her study materials for so long. "I'm going to head downstairs and see what we have in the fridge that isn't sweets or pastries. Does anyone want anything while I'm gone?"

"I think I'll come with you—if I have to look at one more pie chart I'm going to scream," Alya replied, getting up from where she'd slid off the chaise to sit on the floor. "You boys be good."

Nino gave Alya a lazy salute in response, reaching up to grab the brim of his hat and pull it over his eyes as he stretched out on the chaise lounge. "I think I'm just going to lay here and rest my eyes for a minute." With his own growth spurt, he was nearly two meters tall, so his feet stuck out awkwardly past the end of the chair. Alya just chuckled and followed Marinette down the stairs, the girls carrying the empty plates with them to return them to the kitchen.

Glancing over at Nino to make sure he wasn't looking, Adrien stood from the desk chair, carefully creeping up toward Marinette's bed. He'd been smelling something sweet in the room for over an hour now, and he felt like it was familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd smelled it before. He'd finally narrowed down the origin to somewhere in the vicinity of Marinette's loft bed, but he didn't see anything on or around her desk, so he figured it must be something up in the loft. Maybe she had a secret stash of candy she kept hidden under her pillow, and this whole super-powered nose thing was letting him detect it?

Before he could get more than halfway up the stairs, Plagg flew out of his pocket, putting up a paw in front of Adrien's face and shaking his head quickly. "They're coming," he hissed in Adrien's ear. Sure enough, a moment later, he could hear Marinette and Alya's voices drifting up from the floor below Marinette's bedroom, filtering in through the open trap door. Adrien hurriedly clambered back down the stairs backwards, just making it to the bottom of the steps by the time he could hear the girls' feet tramping up the other staircase. Plagg took the opposite route, flying up to hide somewhere out of sight near Marinette's bed. Adrien, attuned to Plagg's voice after three years, could just barely hear the sound of him muttering something, though his voice was too soft to make out any words. Or he might have been speaking a different language? Adrien couldn't quite tell.

"Hey guys! _Maman_ and Papa got us some sandwiches!" Marinette said with a smile, holding up two bags from a nearby café that was a popular lunch spot for their high school. Alya also had her arms full—one hand held a bag that seemed to hold bottles of soda, while the other was carrying a bag of potato chips.

Nino sat up suddenly at the mention of sandwiches, his hat sliding off his face to land in his lap in his haste to get up. "Here, let me help you with that," he said as he absently fixed his hat back on his head. He took the sodas from Alya and set them on the desk.

Wordlessly, his cheeks a bit flushed with how near he'd been to being caught snooping around Marinette's bed, Adrien stepped forward and took one of the bags of food from Marinette. He felt a jolt as their fingers touched, and a flush appeared over Marinette's cheeks as well. "Thanks," she murmured. He simply nodded, carrying the bag over to the table in the middle of the room and starting to pull food out.

Just as Alya was finishing her sandwich, her phone chirped with a new text message, prompting her to pull it out of her pocket. "That's strange, _Mére_ should be at work by now…" She scanned the message briefly; her face fell as she took in its contents. "Ella and Etta came home from school sick with fever, and Nora is out of town at a competition, so _Mére_ needs me to come home and watch the twins while _Pére_ does some work at the zoo—apparently one of the animals is about to go into labor."

"Wow, that's awful luck. Did you get on the bad side of Chat Noir or something?" Marinette asked jokingly. Adrien, in the middle of taking a sip of his soda, started to choke, quickly covering his mouth to keep from spewing cola all over his Economics textbook. "Adrien, are you all right?"

Adrien nodded quickly, forcing himself to swallow before he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm fine… just went down the wrong pipe." He grabbed a napkin to wipe his face and sop up the little bit of soda that he couldn't stop from spilling. "That sucks, Alya, I'm sorry."

"If you're going home, I'll walk you," Nino said, already in the process of packing up his bags. "We can keep studying over there so you can be around for the twins."

"Thanks, Nino." Alya started to pack up her books and notes as well. "It was great studying with you guys while it lasted! Are we still on for Sunday?"

"Yeah!" Marinette replied. "I don't have anything else planned."

"Perfect—do we want to start around the same time, then?"

"Sounds good. And maybe we can take an actual lunch break next time."

Alya nodded and Nino gave Marinette a thumbs-up. "That sounds like a plan to me. We'll see you two around—don't get up to any trouble without us!"

"You know we won't!" Marinette giggled at the suggestion that she would even dream of getting up to any trouble—her moonlighting as a Spandex-clad superhero notwithstanding. Turning to Adrien, she added, "Do you want to keep studying, or do you need to head home soon too?"

"As far as I know, I'm fine to keep studying. Unless Father or Nathalie had something come up at the last minute, my schedule today was supposed to be free."

"Great! You deserve to have some time off; you've been working really hard lately."

"Heh, thanks Marinette. Sometimes it feels like I'm more of an employee than I am a son, with how much Father pushes me to work."

Marinette frowned, reaching out to gently rest her hand on Adrien's arm. "I'm so sorry to hear that… If you ever just, you know, need a break, you're always welcome to come here."

"Thanks… I really appreciate it." Adrien reached up and ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. Impulsively, Marinette took a step closer, wrapping her arms around Adrien in a tight hug. Adrien went stock-still for a long moment; Marinette was about to pull away and apologize when Adrien's arms came up to return the hug.

With their respective growth spurts, Marinette's head was at the perfect height to rest against his shoulder as her arms encircled his chest. This close to him, Marinette could smell his shampoo, but it was overlaid by that same almost ammonia-like smell from when he'd first come into her house. It smelled like… "Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

Marinette dropped her arms and took a half-step back from Adrien, staying within arm's length but not being right in his personal space bubble. "Why do you smell like Camembert cheese?"

Adrien's whole face flushed a brilliant red at the question. "I, uh... I keep some around, actually… You know, being a model and all, I don't normally get to eat much, so I keep cheese around because it's high in protein."

Marinette nodded reluctantly. "Okay… but Camembert?"

Adrien chuckled weakly. "I know, weird, right?"

"I mean, if you like it, far be it from me to stop you from eating it. You may just want to cut back on how much you carry with you."

"That's fair. I'll keep that in mind. But, Marinette, do you always smell like cookies?"

"What?" Marinette reached for the collar of her shirt, bringing it up to smell it. "I don't smell cookies."

"I've been smelling something like candy or cookies for the last, like, two hours. I didn't know if you have some secret stash or if it's your perfume or something. Especially when I'm sitting under your bed."

"Maybe because of the bakery downstairs? I bet I just don't notice it anymore since I'm so used to it."

Adrien paused for a moment to consider that option. "Yeah, that must be it. That makes sense." Before he could speak again, his cell phone started ringing. He seemed to visibly recoil at the sound, furrowing his brow. "Why now?"

"What is it?"

"That's my father's ringtone. There's only one reason he would be calling me rather than Nathalie, and that's because he needs me for something regarding the company. It's probably a last-minute photo shoot."

"Oh… all right."

Adrien pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking down at it intently, though his fingers made no move to answer the call. Finally, on the fifth ring, he swiped the screen and brought the phone up to his ear. "Yes, Father? … Yes, sir, I understand… I'll be home as soon as I can…. No, I don't need the Gorilla to pick me up. I'll be fine. It's not even dark yet and it's not that far from here… Yes, I am at Marinette's house, why do you ask?... Yes, Father. I understand. I'll be home soon. Good-bye, sir."

"That sounded…" _Uncomfortable? Awful?_ "...awkward," Marinette finished lamely.

"That's one way to put it." Adrien's voice was hard, his hand clenched into a fist as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and started to pack up his belongings. With his back to Marinette, he asked softly, "Marinette… How do you feel about Chat Noir?"

"What? Why are you asking about Chat Noir?"

"Just… humor me. What do you think about him?"

"I think he's amazing," Marinette said earnestly, prompting Adrien to turn around and look at her with an inscrutable expression. Flushing a bit, she continued, "The way he and Ladybug work together is awesome. He seems like… like someone that people can rely upon to be there, even if everything is going wrong. He might be a black cat, but I feel like Ladybug is pretty lucky to have him." This time, it was Adrien's turn to flush, looking away from Marinette as he picked up his backpack.

"Thanks… I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"All right… Have a good night, Adrien. Don't work too hard."

Nodding, Adrien made his way down the stairs from Marinette's bedroom, the dark-haired girl following him to see him out. "Thanks for having me over, Marinette," he said as he put his shoes on at the front door.

"Of course. Like I said, you're welcome anytime. Just call or text me. You can even hide out on my balcony if you want."

Adrien chuckled lowly at that suggestion. "Thanks… I might just have to take you up on that offer sooner rather than later, depending on how tonight goes."

Marinette smiled softly, glad to have at least made Adrien laugh a little bit. "Good night, Adrien. You get home before your father gets upset with you."

"Yes, ma'am. Good night, Marinette." The blond gave her a crooked smile before walking down the stairs leading to the street below.

Closing the door, Marinette sighed as she leaned against it, covering her face with her hands. She stayed there for a long moment, internally squealing, before she raced back up to her room, making sure to close the trap door behind her. "Tikki! Oh my god!"

The red and black Kwami zipped out of her dollhouse up in the loft, swooping down to Marinette's level. "What is it, Marinette?"

"Today went really well! We got a good amount of studying done, plus I got to flirt with Adrien!"

"That's great! So what are you going to do now?" Tikki asked.

"I think I'm going to take a break for a while—I've got something I want to work on. Then I'm going to go on patrol with Chat tonight."

"All right. Have fun on your project!"

"Thanks, Tikki!" Grinning, Marinette moved over to where she kept her works in progress, her eyes lighting up when she found one she'd started working on earlier in the fall. All she needed was to finish the applique and it would be done!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we're starting to really get into the story! Hope you're enjoying so far!
> 
> Here's what I have in mind for Marinette's outfit: https://shoplook.io/outfit-preview/311582


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug gets some bad news from Chat, and the squad have a chat online.

Ladybug and Chat Noir met up just after sunset at the top of the _Arc de Triomphe_. They didn't like to use the same meeting spot every time they patrolled, just in case a villain was tracking them, but the structure was a common starting point for their circuitous routes around the city. Ladybug bit her lip nervously as she thrust a wrapped box into Chat Noir's hand. "This is for you, _Chaton._ "

"My Lady?" Chat cocked his head to the side as he furrowed his brow a little, but he accepted the box easily enough. "What's all this about?"

"Just open it!"

Nodding rather reluctantly, Chat tugged on the ribbon wrapped around the box, setting it aside for the moment while he tore through the paper. Lifting the lid, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw what was inside. "What in the…" He reached into the box, pulling out a black beanie hat with green paw prints appliquéd around the brim and faux leather cat ears poking out of the top. Alongside the hat was a fleece scarf with more of the paw print accents and a pair of faux fur-edged gloves. "Bugaboo, these are amazing! Thank you!"

"Actually, Marinette asked me to bring this present to you. She said it was a thank you gift for saving her. Since it's nearly winter, she thought you might be able to use them if you get cold during patrol."

"Marinette made these? I knew she was a talented designer, but, wow. These are incredible."

Ladybug grinned. "I know, right? I'll tell her you like them!"

Chat shook his head quickly. "No, no; for something this amazing, I need to thank her myself. Do you mind if I skip patrol tonight?" Chat wrapped the scarf around his neck and tugged the hat on over his head before he quickly started to pick up the wrapping paper, stuffing it inside the box alongside the gloves.

Ladybug's eyes widened in minor panic, though Chat was too busy to notice. "She's really busy right now! She's got some big tests coming up; it's probably better not to disturb her while she's studying. You can tell her another night."

Chat looked a bit disappointed, but nodded. "That makes sense. Tell you what—I'll put together something really nice to thank her for the gift, and give it to her when I get back."

"Get back from where?" It was Marinette's turn to look confused by Chat's sudden change of topic.

Chat winced a bit, scratching at the back of his head. "Y-yeah… My civilian identity has something going on that I have to leave town for a few days. I should be back by the beginning of next week, though. Do you think you can get Rena Rouge or Carapace to cover for me while I'm gone?"

"Wait, you're leaving town? As in leaving Paris?" At Chat's nod, Marinette's face tightened in concern. "Do you think it's smart to leave right after Hawk Moth just sent out the first Akuma we've seen in nearly a month? What if he's about to start on a rash of attacks? Rena and Carapace are great, but I need my partner."

"I'm sorry, Bugaboo, but I don't have any control over the situation. Like I said, it's a thing for my civilian identity."

Ladybug sighed in resignation, nodding slightly. "I know how that feels. All right. Just keep your Miraculous safe while you're gone, okay?"

"Of course. I won't let it out of my sight."

"Good. Now, shall we begin?"

"Of course, My Lady. Lead the way!"

* * *

Marinette dropped into her bedroom through the skylight, having already released her superhero transformation from Ladybug. She shivered, quickly pulling the skylight window shut to block the late autumn chill. Paris hadn't seen its first snow of the season just yet, but it definitely felt cold enough to do so, especially this late at night.

Marinette pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, noticing multiple notifications that she'd missed during her time as Ladybug. Some of them were the usual late-evening push notifications from her various games and apps; she also had a few new emails, mostly junk or advertising. The one notification that did catch her eye was from the group chat that she, Alya, Nino, and Adrien all had going on. It was mostly used for school-related discussions, but occasionally someone sent a funny meme or a video link to share to the rest of the group. Opening the messaging app, she scrolled back up to where the new messages began so she wouldn't miss anything.

[8:57 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Hey guys! Today was a lot of fun!  
Thanks for having us over, Marinette.

[8:58 PM] **DJLahiffe** : yeah same

[8:58 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : I wanted to let you guys know that I won't be at school tomorrow. Actually, I won't be here the rest of the week.  
Father has some business to attend to in Milan, and he's taking me with him.

[8:59 PM] **TheLadyblogger** : what the hell Adrien???  
doesnt your dad know that the _bac_ practice tests are, like, next week???  
how can he pull you out of school right now???

[9:02 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Trust me, Alya, I'm not happy about it either. I just found out earlier tonight, when I got home from Marinette's house. We aren't even leaving until tomorrow, but he made me come home early so that I could "get some good rest, because we have a busy schedule the next several days."  
Nathalie isn't saying much about it, but she did mention something about a potential collaboration with some Italian leather working company. I guess they make things like wallets, shoes, and belts?  
So the company would be able to offer more in the way of accessories that we don't really have right now.

[9:06 PM] **DJLahiffe** : wow. that sounds p cool but ur dad is still rude af tho

[9:08 PM] **TheLadyblogger** : i'm with nino on this one.  
**@MariDC** what do you think about this? are you as outraged as we are?

 

Glancing at the time, Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was only 9:15. She quickly typed out a response.

 

[9:15 PM] **MariDC** : Sorry, just got back up to my room. Was helping _Maman_ with dishes.   
I'm sorry to hear you're going to be missing class, Adrien!  
But if this is something your father wants you to do, I think it's important that you take it in stride. Look on the bright side! At least you don't have to sit through stuffy classes the rest of the week.  
Your teachers are always willing to work with you when you have to miss class.  
As long as you're back in time for the _Bac_ practice tests next week, everything should be fine.  
...You will be back by then, right?

[9:18 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : According to Father, we will be flying back Sunday, so unless something unexpected happens, I should be back in time for the practice tests.  
Maybe we can do a video call study group one night, depending on how busy I am.

[9:19 PM] **MariDC** : That sounds great! Just let us know when you're free in the evenings.

[9:19 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Definitely. I'll keep you guys posted on what's going on.  
If previous experience is anything to go by, the next few days are going to pretty much be Father talking with a bunch of old people while I sit and do nothing. Either that or I'm going to be doing non-stop photo shoots while Father talks with the board of directors at the other company.  
This is the first time that I'm going to be out of the country, though, so that's exciting at least. I've never been to Italy before. Hopefully I'll get a chance to do some sightseeing while we're there!

[9:22 PM] **DJLahiffe** : dude let me dm u some new remixes ive been working on, u can listen to them on the plane

[9:23 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Yes please!  
Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know so you weren't worried about me tomorrow.  
Have a good night everyone!

[9:25 PM] **TheLadyblogger** : night adrien!

[9:25 PM] **DJLahiffe** : nite bro

[9:25 PM] **MariDC** : Good night, Adrien! Sleep well and safe travels!

[9:26 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Thanks :)

 

Setting her phone aside, Marinette sighed, the sound rather forlorn. She crawled out of bed to get into her pajamas, grabbing her History textbook for some more reading before she fell asleep. However, despite her best efforts, her mind was buzzing with activity; she couldn't get settled enough to read the textbook and she wasn't tired enough to sleep yet. Her mind kept replaying the look on Chat Noir's face as he opened the gift she'd given him. It seemed so familiar, but she couldn't think of why. Not to mention the strange coincidence that both Chat and Adrien were going to be out of town at the same time. "Tikki?"

The Kwami poked her head out of her little dollhouse on the shelf beside Marinette's bed, where she'd settled once they'd gotten inside. "What is it, Marinette?"

"Chat Noir is going to be out of town for a few days starting tomorrow. And Adrien just messaged Alya and Nino and me saying he was going to Milan for the rest of the week."

"Oh… that's an interesting coincidence." Tikki looked up at Marinette intently, as if reading the girl's expression.

"Is it though? I know it sounds crazy, but… what if…" Marinette trailed off. No, that was too crazy for her to even imagine.

"What are you thinking, Marinette?"

"What if… Chat Noir's civilian identity… what if he works for Gabriel Agreste? What if he's going with Adrien and his dad to Milan, and that's why he's going to be out of town?"

Tikki's eyes widened at Marinette's suggestion. "That's… certainly a possibility, I suppose."

"I know we aren't supposed to reveal ourselves to each other without the masks, but if I was on the right track to figuring out his identity, you'd tell me, right Tikki?"

"Of course I would, Marinette. But I'm not sure if you're on the right track or not."

"Oh. Okay." Sighing, Marinette leaned back in bed, staring up at the ceiling as she continued to ponder the curious coincidence. This was getting her nowhere—she needed to get back to studying! With a huff, she picked up her textbook again, gluing her eyes to the page.

However, after trying and failing to read the same paragraph four times, Marinette set the textbook aside and picked her phone back up. Her fingers shook as she typed a private message to Adrien, and she had to reread the message twice to make sure she didn't have any typos before she sent it.

 

[9:45 PM] **MariDC** : Adrien? I have a question.

[9:46 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Hey again Marinette! What's up?

[9:47 PM] **MariDC** : Do you know Chat Noir?

 

Marinette held her breath as a message appeared in the corner of her screen: _AdrienAgreatest is typing…_ Ten seconds turned into thirty seconds, turned into a minute, and Marinette had to gasp for air before she passed out. Finally, after the longest two minutes of her entire life, Adrien's reply popped up on her phone.

 

[9:49 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : I'm not sure why you're asking, but yes, I've at least met Chat Noir before. I don't know who he is behind the mask, though. Or, at least, I don't know if I know him. Does that make sense?

[9:50 PM] **MariDC** : Yes! That makes perfect sense.  
I have a confession to make: When I said I was at home the whole time the villain was attacking the school on Monday, I was lying.  
I actually got hurt in the bathroom when the villain first appeared, and Chat Noir saved me.  
I only lied to keep Alya and Nino from freaking out and worrying about me.  
Are you mad?

[9:53 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Why would I be mad at you?  It's not like you intentionally put yourself in harm's way, right?  
I'm just glad you're alright. You're one of my closest friends and I would be devastated if something happened to you.  
I care about you a lot, Marinette.

 

Marinette's eyes widened almost comically as she read and reread Adrien's messages. She vaguely heard a loud, high-pitched squeal coming from somewhere in the room. It took her a minute to realize it was coming from herself.

 

[9:56 PM] **MariDC** : I care about you a lot too Adrien!  
I mean, you're one of my closest friends too!  
I love

Shaking her head wildly, Marinette deleted the text and started again.

[9:57 PM] **MariDC** : You're really important to me and I hope I didn't disappoint you or make you mad.

[9:58 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Don't worry about it, Marinette. You didn't do anything of the sort.  
Anyway, I should be getting to bed. It's late and I have to be up at 5 for us to make our plane.

[10:00 PM] **MariDC** : Oh lord! Yes, you do need to be getting to sleep! Can't have Mr. Model with saggy under eye bags, now can we? ;)  
Sleep well, Adrien. Let us know when your plane lands, all right?

[10:03 PM] **AdrienAgreatest** : Will do.  
Good night, Marinette. Sweet dreams :) _(edited)_

 

Marinette blinked, peering down at her phone in confusion. She'd glanced away for a moment, but she could have sworn that instead of her name, Adrien had initially written "Princess."

Did Adrien think of Marinette using pet names? Did he consider her his princess?

"Oh my god!" Marinette rolled over and stuffed her face into her pillow to hide her squeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the usernames are corny, but I love them anyway. I'm basing the chat design off of Discord, since that's what I'm most familiar with for group messaging.
> 
> Hope you're enjoying the story so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug recruits some familiar faces to help protect Paris while Chat Noir is out of town.

The next morning, Marinette was up early for a change. Out the side door of the Dupain residence just before seven, she proceeded toward the métro stop to get over to Master Fu's apartment before school started. She wanted to get the Fox and Turtle Miraculous early, just in case there was another Akuma attack unexpectedly.

Knocking on his door, Marinette jumped a bit when the door opened seemingly on its own. However, it was just Wayzz holding onto the handle for dear life. "Good morning," the Kwami said quietly. "I sensed you were coming, and Master is with a client at the moment, so I thought I would let you in. You can have a seat; he should be done soon."

"Thank you," Marinette whispered in response, giving the green Kwami a small smile. She hadn't had much of a chance to speak to Wayzz directly over the years; he seemed nice enough, though, if a little slow. He definitely seemed to embody his animal counterpart's common characteristics. Letting Tikki out of her purse, Marinette watched as the two Kwami disappeared toward the kitchen, leaving her alone in the entryway of the apartment.

Pulling out her cell phone to check the time, Marinette spotted a notification that Adrien had posted a new picture to his official social media account. She pulled it up quickly—it was a shot of himself sitting on an airplane next to the window, travel pillow around his neck. His hair was somehow perfectly tousled as if by sleep, his sinfully long lashes pillowed against his cheeks while his eyes were closed. Above the picture was the plane emoji, accompanied by the text  _ "Early morning flight #milan #italia #madebygabriel"  _ The post was only about ten minutes old, but had already amassed over a hundred likes and shares and several comments.

Biting her lip, Marinette saved the picture to her phone before liking and sharing the post on her own feed. She also left a brief comment: " _ Safe travels! Buon Viaggio!"  _ She spent the next few minutes scrolling through the rest of her feed. She saw a post from Alya's official LadyBlog account, linking to a new blog post discussing Gemocide. Like many of the LadyBlog posts, it was time-stamped a little after 1 in the morning. She liked the post and moved on.

"Good morning, Marinette," Master Fu said as he exited his treatment room, another elderly Asian man just behind him. He turned and spoke to the man briefly in Mandarin, money exchanged hands, and then with a bow, the customer left the apartment. Master Fu turned toward Marinette with a small, expectant smile. "What brings you to my doorstep this early in the morning? I have not sensed an Akuma today."

"No, Master, it's not that," Marinette replied. "Actually, it's about Chat Noir. He and I were patrolling last night when he said he had something come up in his civilian form, and that he was going to be out of town for the rest of the week. I wanted to come and see if I might be able to get the Fox and Turtle Miraculous so that Rena Rouge and Carapace can help me patrol Paris. That way they're ready to act at a moment's notice in case there is another Akuma attack."

Master Fu considered Marinette's words, stroking his beard as he thought. Meanwhile, Wayzz and Tikki returned from the kitchen now that the customer was gone from the apartment. "Tikki has given me some background into the situation. I would be happy to be of assistance," Wayzz said, looking up at Master Fu. "If Master does not mind, that is."

"I can see the wisdom in your words; but do you really think you will need both the Fox and the Turtle? Normally you and Chat Noir can handle things between the two of you," Master Fu pointed out.

"That may be true, but Chat and I both have far more experience than either Rena Rouge or Carapace," Marinette replied. "I know that they are both capable heroes, but I do think the two of them together would be more helpful than either one of them alone."

"That is fair. To be honest, I was wondering when you would return to see me. It seems as though the Akumas have been coming less often, but when they do come, they are more dangerous than ever before." Master Fu shuffled over to where a teapot was sitting on a warming plate, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Wayzz and I have been discussing it, and we think it may be time for you to conscript your friends on a more permanent basis."

"Really? So let them keep their Miraculous full-time?"

"Yes. Let's call this week a trial run, of sorts. You give them each a Miraculous for the remainder of the week. On Sunday evening, you can report back to me if you think they deserve to keep their powers. How does that sound."

Marinette couldn't help but break out into a grin. "That sounds great! But… do you mind giving up Wayzz that long?" She glanced over at the turtle Kwami, who nodded in understanding.

"I appreciate your concern, but he deserves far better than me as a wielder, Marinette. I think he will be much happier with a strapping young lad like your friend." Master Fu reached up to remove the bracelet, Wayzz disappearing into it in a flash of light. He moved across the room to open the secret Miraculous storage hidden under the record player. Marinette stepped forward to retrieve the Fox Miraculous, tucking each precious trinket into its respective carrying box. "Now I know I have told you this before, but it is more important now than ever:  _ keep the Miraculous safe _ . We still know nothing about Hawk Moth, even after all these years—we cannot run the risk of them falling into his hands."

"I understand, Master Fu," Marinette replied with a firm nod. "We won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Master Fu's serious expression melted into a warm smile as he closed the Miraculous storage case and hid it away from sight once more. "Now then, won't you join me for a cup of tea before you go?"

"I wish I could, but I'm going to have to hurry to deliver these and still make it to school on time. I'm sorry. Some other time?"

"Of course. You know you are always welcome to come and chat. I may have a business, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy just having a sit and talking with someone every once in a while!"

"I'll take you up on that offer soon. Thank you, Master Fu!" Marinette gave the wizened old man a deep bow as a show of respect before she left his apartment.

Ducking into a side alley out of sight, she quickly transformed into Ladybug, swinging her way from rooftop to rooftop until she landed just outside Alya's window. Thankfully, her friend was still in her bedroom, as it was only just after 8 in the morning and Alya lived close to school. Ladybug tapped on the window lightly, not wanting to scare Alya, but needing to get her attention. A moment later, Alya was dashing toward the window, wrenching it open. "Ladybug! What's going on? Is there another Akuma?"

Climbing into Alya's room, Ladybug shook her head no. "Not at the moment, Alya. I just needed to talk to you about something very important. It can't wait."

"Of course! Whatever it is, you know I'm 100 percent up for it."

Ladybug nodded, pulling out the box with the Fox Miraculous inside. "Alya Cesaire, here is the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion. I have been authorized to give you a Miraculous for the sake of protecting Paris. For the time being, you may keep the Fox Miraculous, only using it for the greater good. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Ladybug. Thank you for trusting me again to help you." Alya took the box with reverent fingers, opening it to reveal the foxtail pendant. A bright orange ball of light appeared out of the pendant, circling around Alya a few times before coalescing into Trixx, the fox Kwami. "Hello again, Trixx! Long time, no see!"

"Alya! I've missed you!" Trixx swooped toward the girl, nuzzling against her cheek in the Kwami approximation of a hug. "You've gotten older! How long has it been since I last saw you?"

"It's been almost three years, Trixx. But Ladybug says I get to keep you for a while!" Alya gestured to the polka-dotted superhero standing nearby. Trixx turned and looked Ladybug up and down, as if sizing her up.

"So, you're Tikki's holder, huh? Not as impressive as she makes you sound, but then again, no one is as impressive as my Alya!" Trixx grinned and winked, revealing the good-natured jape for what it was. Ladybug just smiled in response as Trixx turned back to her holder. "So, what are we doing? Fighting another villain?"

"Actually, Trixx, we're going to school. You're going to have to ride in my bag for a while and stay hidden."

"I actually need to get going, myself—I have one more person to visit," Ladybug said. "I'll be in touch with you later to schedule some patrols."

"'Kay! See you later, Ladybug!" Alya walked with Ladybug back to the window, closing it behind the polka-dotted heroine. "All right, Trixx! Let's get this show on the road!" Alya pulled the pendant out of the box, affixing it around her neck.

Meanwhile, Ladybug had already made it most of the way to Nino's house, which was fortunately only a few streets over—just a hop, skip, and a jump for a superhero who routinely trekked across rooftops. In much the same manner as with Alya, Ladybug knocked on the window to Nino's bedroom, thankful that he had his curtains open so she knew which room was his.

Nino appeared at the window a moment later, his eyes widening when he saw who was perched outside. "Whoa!" Nino cried out as he slid the pane up. "Ladybug! What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Nino. I need your help."

"Of course! Whatever you need, Lady-dude!" Marinette stepped into the room, staying by the window in case she needed to make a quick getaway. It was already nearing 8:15 and school started at 8:30.

"Nino Lahiffe," Ladybug began, pulling out the second box, "Here is the Miraculous of the Turtle, which grants the power of protection. I have been authorized to give you a Miraculous for the sake of protecting Paris. For the time being, you may keep the Turtle Miraculous, only using it for the greater good. Do you understand?"

"Definitely, Lady-dude. You can count on me!" Nino accepted the box from Ladybug's hand, opening it and putting the bracelet on as Wayzz manifested himself from the green light that emerged from the box. "Hey, Wayzz!" Nino grinned, holding his hand up for a fist-bump, which Wayzz happily returned. "I'm glad to see you!"

"Hello again, Nino! It is good to see you! You look well."

"So you do, little guy!"

Ladybug smiled as the two got re-acquainted. "Now remember, Nino. Your acceptance of the Miraculous must remain a secret, other than from Alya, since the two of you already know each other's identities. And keep Wayzz out of sight while you're in public."

"Got it! Little dude, you wanna ride under my hat or in my pocket?"

"I believe I will take the pocket, Nino. If that is acceptable to you, that is," Wayzz added.

"Of course! Whatever makes you comfortable." Nodding, Wayzz flew into the pocket of Nino's jacket, hiding out of sight.

"Great! Now, I'm going to head out, but I'll contact you later to set up some time to patrol."

"Sounds good, Dudette! Thanks again!" 

With a nod, Ladybug hopped out of Nino's window, leaping from roof to roof like a bat out of hell. She landed on her balcony _ ,  _ de-transforming back into Marinette. "All right, Tikki, thanks for your help. You go ahead and rest up."

"Of course, Marinette! Have a good day at school!" Tikki followed Marinette down into her bedroom, heading over to Marinette's purse while the teen gathered up her things for school. Dashing down the stairs, she exited through the bakery this time, giving her parents each a quick kiss and snagging a croissant to eat on her way to school.

* * *

She slid into her seat in her first period classroom just as the final bell rang. Nino looked at her with concern as she slumped back, out of breath. "You alright, Marinette?" he whispered as the teacher began to take attendance.

Marinette nodded, gasping out a single word: "Overslept." Nino nodded sympathetically, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder. Thankfully, the time the teacher got to Marinette's name on the class roll, she was recovered enough to raise her hand and croak out, "Present!"

Throughout the class period, Marinette kept glancing over at Nino, specifically at the new accessory around his wrist. He'd never given up wearing his multiple bracelets, so the Miraculous blended right in, but Marinette knew how special that particular item was. How she wished she could share her identity with her friends! But she knew it was vital that they keep their civilian lives as separate from their heroic ones as possible. It was honestly a little unfortunate that Alya and Nino found out about each other during the Heroes' Day debacle a few years ago, but to be fair, Alya even admitted that she'd had a hunch about Carapace's identity.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief when the period passed without incident. She'd managed to take a few notes, but it was mostly just review of what they'd learned so far. After class had released, she headed to her next class, one of the few that she didn't share with Nino.

The day seemed to drag on, but somehow, Marinette managed to survive until the end of the last lesson. She met up with Alya and Nino to walk home, walking on Alya's left while Nino was on his girlfriend's other side. "So how was your day, Alya?" Marinette asked. "I didn't get to see you at lunch!"

"Oh, yeah, Nino and I went and grabbed a bite just the two of us. We had some things we needed to discuss."

"Oh? Trouble in paradise?"

Alya shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I just needed his opinion on something. And I'd like to hear what you think about it, too."

"Okay? What is it? You're acting kind of cagey, Alya."

Alya linked arms with Marinette and Nino, tugging them both to a stop. When they were both looking at her, Alya confessed, "I think I'm going to shut down the LadyBlog."

"What?!" Marinette's eyes widened in shock. "Why? Don't you have, like, close to a hundred thousand subscribers? You're making a killing off of the ad revenue alone!"

"That may be true, but I've been giving it some thought, and I've come to the realization that it's really dumb to throw myself into harm's way like I've been doing the past few years. I'm growing up and getting older, and…" Alya trailed off, rubbing one arm as she looked down at the ground. "And I've also realized that it's super invasive of me to try to figure out who Ladybug is. She's a superhero, and maintaining her secret identity is important. I don't want anything to happen that might cause me trouble with my future goals. Does that make sense?"

It dawned on Marinette that this wasn't just a case of Alya suddenly realizing that maintaining her blog was hazardous to her health. She didn't want the LadyBlog to be the reason she had to give up being Rena Rouge. Marinette reached up and placed a comforting hand on Alya's shoulder, drawing her best friend into a hug. "I don't think you should completely give up on the LadyBlog; if nothing else, keep it up as an archive. But if you're sure you want to stop posting on it, I support you."

"And you know what I said earlier, babe. Whatever you need, I'm here for you." Nino got in on the hug as well, making something of an Alya sandwich between the two of them.

"Thank you, both of you. I'm not going to do anything right away, but I do think I'll make a post later tonight telling all my followers that the LadyBlog will be moving in a different direction. What direction that is, I'm not sure of yet, but I'll figure it out!"

"You always do!"

* * *

Despite conscripting the other two teens into service, the following few days were blessedly quiet. Ladybug spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings showing Rena Rouge and Carapace, respectively, the Paris she and Chat watched from a bird's—or a ladybug's—eye view. Since neither of the newly minted heroes had done much in the way of patrolling the city before, Ladybug wanted to make sure the two were familiar with the sights and sounds of a city at peace, the better to pick up on any disturbances when they inevitably arose.

It was sort of funny how the mantle of hero seemed to rest differently on the two teens, Ladybug mused. Rena had been unusually serious during her tour of the city on Wednesday night, even going so far as to bring a notepad and pen with her to take notes. Carapace, on the other hand, had seemed just as chill as Ladybug knew Nino to be in his everyday life. Perhaps it was because of the circumstances surrounding their initial forays into using their Miraculous powers? Alya had been frantically trying to save her sisters, feeling helpless to do anything as Alya Cesaire. But with Nino, even before gaining the power of Carapace, he had been heroically standing up to the villain Anansi despite her clear advantages. 

On Friday, Ladybug invited both Rena and Carapace to join her for patrol, wanting to see how the two interacted. She knew that they knew about one another, but she was curious if they would act like the Alya and Nino that she knew from school, or if they would act more like the personalities she'd seen from them the past couple of nights.

"So, where do you want to begin?" Ladybug asked the two heroes.

"Wherever you think is best, Ladybug," Rena replied quickly, pulling out her notepad. "You mentioned on Wednesday that around this time of night, most of the action is downtown in the  _ Avenue des Champs-Elysées _ , right? Do you think we should start there?"

"It's definitely a place that Chat and I keep an eye on. If you want to start there, that's fine with me." 

"That sounds like as good a place as any to start the night," Carapace agreed.

"All right then, it's settled. Shall we?" Ladybug pulled her yo-yo off of her hip, swinging across to the next rooftop. Rena and Carapace were hot on her heels, leaping after her as they headed toward downtown.

Ladybug headed up to her and Chat's favorite perch on top of the  _ Arc de Triomphe _ , where they could see the whole of the famous street from one central location. Moments later, Rena and Carapace landed next to her, looking out over the city below them. "Now then. The key is to keep all your senses open, not focusing too much on any one thing. Keep an eye on the alleyways and  _ métro _ station entrances; anywhere that a thug or thief could keep out of sight. Most nights, Chat and I don't do much other than assist the police in apprehending petty criminals, but they appreciate the help nonetheless." 

"Do you ever see M. Raincomprix anymore?" Rena asked. "I know he's police chief now, so he probably has a lot more office work…"

"No, we don't see him very often anymore. I remember he came out from the police station once when we helped out with a hostage situation, but that was a few months ago."

"A hostage situation? What happened?" Carapace's voice was aghast with concern. "I don't remember hearing anything about it on the news!"

"It was kept really hush-hush. Some foreign ambassador's daughter was reported kidnapped, but it actually turned out she snuck out of her house to meet with her boyfriend."

"Oh. Well that's lame."

"Yeah, it basically ended up being a huge waste of everyone's time and a lot of the city's resources. The two of them were found in the guy's older brother's apartment. I'll let you guess what they were doing." Ladybug didn't have to even look at Rena and Carapace to know the two were probably giving each other shifty looks and flushing red with embarrassment.

"Do you, um, get a lot of that kind of… activity?" Rena asked rather delicately.

Ladybug shook her head no. "Like I said, Chat and I mostly deal with petty thieves, purse snatchers, that sort of thing. Anything bigger than that, we usually let the police handle, unless it's Akuma-related."

"That makes sense. You and Chat go after the guys that might get away otherwise—the ones that require immediate action."

"Exactly. Speaking of which, I see someone over there. Keep an eye on him, okay?" Ladybug pointed down at a nearby  _ métro  _ exit, where a rather shifty looking guy in a dark jacket was pacing back and forth, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "We can't do anything until he acts, but if he does, we get in and we get out, nice and clean. Got it?"

"Got it!" Carapace and Rena replied in unison, their bodies tensing up now that they had something to actively watch out for.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile. She could see that her two friends were more than eager to help. Hopefully they could prove themselves while Chat was gone and earn the right to hold their Miraculous full-time.

Just as expected, the man struck a couple of minutes later, snatching an older woman's purse as she came up the steps from the underground metro stop. Ladybug let Rena and Carapace handle the thug, watching from above as the two leapt into action. Rena was up first, using her power of Illusion to create a facsimile of two police officers standing nearby. Spotting the officers, the man hastily changed direction as he ran, sending him ducking into an alleyway—where Carapace lay in wait to knock the man's feet out from under him. Retrieving the purse, Carapace caught up with Rena, who had joined the victim. The two returned the purse to its rightful owner, who confirmed its contents and sent them each off with a grateful hug. They headed back to the  _ Arc de Triomphe _ and Ladybug with triumphant grins on their faces, their chests heaving from effort and adRenaline.

"Well done, you two! Rena, that was great work with the police officer illusion. Very smart thinking. And Carapace, you did an awesome job of retrieving the purse without injuring the thief too badly. He did get pretty far away, though, so next time try to work on getting the item back a bit faster."

"Thanks for the tips, Ladybug!" Rena's pendant started to beep, indicating that she would be de-transforming soon. "Whoops. I forgot that I used my power. I didn't think to bring anything with me for Trixx to eat."

"Why don't we call it a night for now, then? Paris can handle one night without a patrol. Tomorrow, the two of you can go it alone." Both Rena and Carapace opened their mouths to object, but Ladybug continued, "I know you two, you've been more help to me and Chat than even the two of you are aware. I trust you! You can do this! And I'll just be a phone call away if things get hairy, all right?" The two nodded mutely, glancing at each other with some lingering worry but not voicing their concerns. "Now let's get you back closer to home, Rena."

"All right… And Ladybug?"

"What is it?"

"Thanks for trusting us."

"Of course." Ladybug held out a fist toward each of the new heroes. "Pound it?"

"Pound it!" Rena and Carapace replied in unison, returning the fist bumps.

* * *

Saturday came and went quietly. Even the city itself was on good behavior, with relatively little petty crime to speak of. Maybe Hawk Moth had gone out of town too, or was just lying low again after the last Akuma attack. Either way, it was something of a relief to Marinette, as the  _ Bac _ practice exams were fast approaching and she couldn't afford to deal with a bunch of interruptions.

Of course, interruptions were exactly what she got. What else was new? This time, though, rather than an Akuma attack or other life-threatening event, it was her heart that was threatened.

"Alya, did you see the pictures? He had his  _ arm _ around her  _ waist! _ " Marinette wailed into the phone as she scrolled through her feed on her computer late Saturday night. The internet was buzzing over the latest paparazzi photos to come out of Gabriel and Adrien's trip to Milan. At a high-profile fashion show earlier that evening, the  _ Gabriel _ brand had announced its partnership with Spadafora Leatherworks to bring a whole new dimension to  _ Gabriel _ 's clothing lines. Not only would  _ Gabriel  _ be designing and selling accessories and shoes to go with their clothing, but there would be a whole new line of leather-accented clothing, leather jackets, and more. Spadafora was also known for their innovative new faux leather, which had all the benefits of real leather without the ethical quandaries surrounding genuine leather.

"Marinette, girl, calm down!" Alya retorted. "Just because Adrien was at a fashion show with another model and posed for some photos doesn't mean that he's seeing her. Besides, I have it on very good authority that Adrien's been asking about you recently."

Marinette's jaw dropped open for a moment, turning her head to look at Tikki with wide eyes. "R-really? Who, who's he been, um, asking? About me?"

"Oh, just Nino. Apparently Adrien thinks he's some sort of expert on you since the two of you share so many classes." Alya's voice took on a hard edge near the end of that sentence.

Marinette sputtered a bit. "Look, Alya, it's not what you think, you know Nino and I are just friends!"

Alya started to laugh at Marinette's reaction. "Girl, I'm just teasing you! I know my man wouldn't cheat on me with my best friend in the whole world. We trust each other! And I trust you even more than I trust Nino."

Marinette chuckled weakly, her stomach churning with guilt over Alya's words. "I trust you too… you know that, right?"

"Of course. No secrets between us."

"Right…" Marinette bit back a sigh. How was it so easy for Alya to lie like that? Marinette knew that there was a big secret between the two of them—it had only gotten bigger recently with Alya taking on the mantle of Rena Rouge on a more permanent basis. And if she couldn't reveal her identity to her long-time partner Chat Noir, she had no business telling Alya or Nino that she was the face behind Ladybug's polka-dotted mask.

"However, I can't help but wonder. You've become a lot more comfortable around Adrien, right? Ever since you gave him that kiss on Heroes' Day." 

Marinette flushed scarlet at the memory. "Y-yeah? Why do you ask?"

"Why haven't you two started dating yet? The boy's obviously head-over-heels for you, with how much he asks Nino and me about you. Don't tell me he asked you out and you told him no by accident?"

"What? No!" Marinette scrunched down in her computer chair, bringing the collar of her sweatshirt up over her face. "He hasn't asked me. And at this point I'm too chicken to ask him out. With us being in  _ Terminale _ and knowing how busy he is with everything outside of school… we wouldn't even have time to go on any dates anyway."

"Girl, if you don't do  _ something _ , you're going to lose your chance! Maybe he'll go off to some exotic location for a photo shoot, meet a pretty girl, fall in love, and decide to move away from Paris." The color drained from Marinette's face as she imagined the scenario—though in her version, the mini-Marinette who was left behind in Paris ended up a wizened old crazy hamster lady, still out there trying to be Ladybug, using a walker to get around instead of her yo-yo. "Earth to Marinette! You still there?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Alya, I got kinda lost in thought, there… You're right. After the practice exams, I'm going to tell him."

"Good! I'm holding you to that." On the other end of the phone, Marinette heard two faint voices calling Alya's name. "Anyway, the twins are calling for me. Stop stressing out about the paparazzi pictures and get some sleep, all right? We have a busy day tomorrow and the practice tests after that! Bye, Marinette!"

"Have a good night, Alya! See you tomorrow!" Marinette hung up the phone, crawling up to her bed and sliding underneath the covers with another sigh. It was nearly 2 in the morning, and after the late night patrol with Rena and Carapace plus the freak-out over the photos, she was both physically and emotionally drained. Looking up at her Kwami, she mumbled, "Tikki?"

"What is it, Marinette?"

"Is there any way for me to use Ladybug's powers while not in the suit?"

"Not to my knowledge. Why do you ask?" Tikki floated down to rest on the pillow next to Marinette's head.

"Because I'm going to need every ounce of good luck and bravery that I can get, and I only feel brave when I'm Ladybug."

Tikki frowned a bit, reaching out to pat Marinette's cheek tenderly. "Oh, Marinette. You know that's not true. Ladybug's bravery  _ is _ Marinette's bravery. You just need to remind yourself of that."

Marinette sighed once more, burying her face in the pillow. Her voice was muffled as she said, "Maybe if I at least put on a mask, I won't be so scared…"

"You shouldn't hide behind a mask, Marinette. Not when it comes to your feelings for Adrien. It's time for you to put those out in the open, for better or for worse."

"Do you think so? But what if he turns me down?"

"I don't think he will… but if he does, then you accept it and keep being his friend. You've been able to do that to this point, right?"

"Yeah…" Marinette thought about that for a moment. It was true that she'd loved Adrien for years, but the thought of losing him as a friend hurt a lot more than the idea of him not returning her feelings. "That's fair. I owe it to him to at least tell him outright how I feel."

"Exactly. Now get some sleep. You look exhausted."

"I _feel_ exhausted." Snuggling under her blankets, she patted Tikki on the head, who returned the tender gesture with a peck on the cheek before returning to her dollhouse. "Good night, Tikki."

"Good night, Marinette. Sweet dreams!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the _Bac_ practice tests is here! How will Marinette handle it?

When her Monday morning alarm went off, Marinette had to forcibly clench her hands into fists to keep from throwing the clock over the edge of the loft to the floor below just to stop the noise. Groaning, she slowly forced herself into an upright position, feeling her way down the stairs to the main floor of her bedroom. Eyes still heavy and half-closed, she fumbled her way into the bathroom to shower, hoping the hot water would help her to wake up. As she sat under the steaming spray, she thought back to the night before.

 

_ Close to midnight, she had been ready to stop studying for the night and turn in when Tikki flew down from the loft in a tizzy. "Chat's contacting you!" _

_ "He's back?" At Tikki's nod, Marinette quickly transformed and made her way up to her rooftop, opening her yo-yo in communicator mode. "Chat! Welcome back!" _

_ "Thank you, My Lady! I'm so glad to be home! Sorry to call you out so late, but I really needed to stretch my claws and wondered if you'd be up for a late-night stroll with me?" _

_ "Of course,  _ Chaton _. I've missed you! Paris hasn't been the same without you." _

_ "Awww, Bugaboo, I'm touched. Meet me at the  _ Trocadéro _?" _

_ "On my way!" With a grin, Ladybug swung and leapt her way across the city, landing at the entrance to the  _ Jardins du Trocadéro  _ near the statue of Ferdinand Foch. A figure darker than the shadows themselves stepped toward her, blond hair catching the light from a nearby street lamp and the familiar, lingering scent of Camembert she'd come to associate with Chat reaching her nose. Ladybug couldn't help but grin at the sight of her partner. "Just like a stray cat, aren't you,  _ Chaton _? I'm surprised you aren't begging for treats." _

_ "If you have something, I wouldn't say no, My Lady. I haven't eaten in hours and I'm staaaarving." He covered his toned stomach with his hands, giving Ladybug the most pitiful pout and wide, innocent eyes he could possibly muster. _

_ "Sorry,  _ Chaton _ , I don't have anything with me. But I promise to bring you something good next time, all right?" _

_ "Something flaky and warm and filled with jam?" _

_ Ladybug chuckled. "I'll see what I can do." _

_ Grinning, Chat stepped closer to Ladybug, ducking down to nuzzle his nose affectionately under her chin as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Three years ago, she would have held him at arm's length, but somehow over the years, she'd become accustomed to—even accepting of—his physical shows of affection, so like his namesake. It was a bit awkward now that he was several inches taller than her, but that just made it even more delightful sometimes, seeing how Chat would contort himself to get her hand to start scratching through his hair. As if on cue, Ladybug's hand started to card through the blond strands between his ears, eliciting a purr of enjoyment. His hair felt silky-soft where it brushed against her cheek. She wondered how it would feel to touch it with her bare fingers... _

 

The two had stayed out for hours, catching up and just lazily patrolling through the city. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Ladybug resolutely denied any sort of romantic entanglements between them, it could have by all accounts been a date.

By the time Marinette had collapsed into bed, it was nearly three in the morning. Her alarm went off promptly at seven. With only four hours of sleep, she'd barely survive on a normal day—how was she supposed to deal with a whole day of practice tests for the most important event of her school career?

It wasn't until she yelped as the water started to run cold that Marinette realized she'd dozed off standing up in the shower. Hastily jumping out of the tub and cutting off the water, she toweled off and blow-dried her hair, opting for a high ponytail to save time instead of her usual pigtails. She got dressed in a flash and grabbed her school supplies, Tikki already waiting for her in her purse. "You sure were in the bathroom a long time, Marinette. Are you feeling alright?"

"Just tired, Tikki—that's all," Marinette replied, yawning midway through the sentence. "Today's gonna be tough. I need coffee." Heading downstairs, Marinette stopped by the kitchen to get just that, drinking the last of the pot her parents made earlier that morning while she brewed more to put in a travel mug for school.

As she was putting on her shoes and jacket, her phone rang, the ringtone telling her that it was Alya calling. "Hey Alya, what's up?" she asked into the phone.

"Hey Marinette! Nino and I are outside, we thought it would be nice to all walk together to school today!"

"Sounds great! Oh, I just made some coffee, do you guys want some? I'll bring you mugs."

Marinette could hear Alya in the background conferring with Nino briefly before she returned to the line. "Sure, that sounds awesome. We were up pretty late last night, so the caffeine would definitely be welcome."

"All right, let me grab a couple of travel mugs and I'll be right down."

"Do you think you could make it three? We have a tagalong."

"Sure, who is it?"

"Sorry, Marinette, gotta go! We'll be waiting!" The line went dead before Marinette could protest. Furrowing her brow in confusion at Alya's antics, she pulled down a third travel mug and filled each one with black coffee before making sure all the lids were securely tightened and locked. She carefully juggled all four of the mugs into her arms, holding them close to her chest as she made her way out the door and down the stairs one at a time.

Alya was standing at the door, ready to open it as soon as Marinette unlocked it. She scooped two of the mugs into her hands before Marinette could even take one step outside. "Thanks!" she said with a grin, handing the green mug to Nino. She kept the brown mug for herself, while Marinette held the black and red ones.

"You're welcome! Thanks for stopping to pick—" Marinette stopped dead in her tracks, her words dying as she saw the mysterious fourth member of the group. "Adrien… Hi…"

"Hey Marinette! It's great to see you." Adrien's green eyes were heart-meltingly warm as he looked at her. "Are you ready for the tests today?"

"Yeah, gonna take me—TAKE THE. TESTS. TAKE TESTS YES okay let's go!!" Marinette's whole face flushed with embarrassment. She shoved one of the travel mugs in Adrien's direction, turning resolutely away from him and starting to walk at a quick pace as she buried her face in the collar of her jacket.

However, in her haste to cover her own embarrassment, she didn't notice the way Adrien's face flushed as well, his breath catching in his throat from the unbidden mental image of Marinette laid out under him, hair loose and spread across his pillows as they—

"Adrien! You coming?" Nino asked, snapping him out of his dirty thoughts.

"Yeah!" He followed after Nino, shoving his hand deep into his coat pocket to make sure it was covering the front of his pants. With his other hand, he popped the lid of the candy-apple red travel mug so that he could take a sip of the blessed elixir contained inside.

Alya caught up to Marinette easily enough, leaving the two boys to trail behind them. "Wow, you haven't been that tongue-tied around Adrien in ages. What happened?"

"I couldn't sleep last night," Marinette confessed; it wasn't an outright lie, but she didn't go into detail about the very specific black leather-clad hero keeping her awake to an ungodly hour of the night. "I don't think I actually got to sleep until close to three in the morning."

"Ouch, that sucks," Alya said, patting Marinette on the shoulder. "Sorry to hear that. Maybe you can get a quick lunch and try to squeeze a nap in?"

"That's probably what I'll do. I may even stay at school and just try to find a quiet place to curl up in the library."

Alya nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a good idea—save yourself the time and energy of leaving school."

"Are you going to stay at school for lunch?" Adrien asked. He and Nino had caught up and overheard the tail end of the girls' conversation. "I was thinking about doing the same thing, trying to find a quiet place to rest for a bit. I barely got any sleep last night."

"Too busy talking with the hot Italian models?" Nino teased. Adrien flushed at the suggestion, shaking his head vehemently.

"No, I actually didn't get any of their numbers or social media handles. I'm really not interested in a long-distance relationship, or honestly any kind of relationship with another model. I've seen how a lot of models act, and that's not the kind of attitude I want in my girlfriend." Adrien looked at Marinette steadily as he spoke. "I want a girl who's genuine, and kind, and real. Someone who doesn't hide behind a hollow façade. You know?"

Marinette wasn't oblivious enough to miss that he was talking about Ladybug. But even knowing that he might return her crush didn't change the fact that his words were making her feel about two inches tall. She looked down at the mug in her hands, biting her lower lip. If Adrien wanted a "genuine, real" girlfriend, someone who didn't hide behind a façade, Marinette was never going to be able to be that girl, not as long as she was also Ladybug.

"I think that's what everyone wants, honestly," Nino replied, breaking the rather awkward silence that had developed around the group. "That's why I'm so glad that I was able to convince Alya to start dating me when I did!"

Alya spluttered into a laugh at that remark. "Convince me? More like beg me."

"Hey now, as I remember it, you two started dating because Ladybug locked you in a zoo exhibit," Adrien pointed out.

"Okay, yes, that's fair. Really, we ought to be thanking her for bringing us together." Nino smiled at Alya, linking their hands together as they walked, leaving Marinette and Adrien to follow.

Marinette brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, not looking up at Adrien. "So, um… how was Milan?"

"It was… nice, I guess" Adrien said quietly. "Really, it was a boring trip. I didn't get to do any of the fun touristy stuff. Mostly my week was filled with photo shoot after photo shoot and meeting after meeting."

"Oh, wow. So you didn't get to see anything? That's… kind of sad. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay. Father says it's part of the business, you know?" Adrien's voice was somewhat wistful as he spoke, looking up at the Eiffel Tower with a longing expression on his face.

"...Adrien?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't want to do this, do you?" Adrien's face whipped around to meet Marinette's, his eyes wide and concerned. "The modeling thing, the fashion business, I mean!"

"Oh. Okay, I thought—sorry, never mind. You're right, though; it's really not what I want to do with my life. Father acts like it's a foregone conclusion that I'm going to take over the Gabriel brand someday, but it's just not where my passion is, you know?"

Marinette nodded. "I think I understand. I know my parents support my aspirations to become a fashion designer, but I think… I think they expect that I'm not going to be able to make a living out of it, and that eventually I'll come back and take over the bakery when they're ready to retire. Not that I mind, you know, helping them out sometimes, but…"

"But it still hurts knowing that your parents think they know what your future holds better than you do," Adrien finished for her. "That's exactly how I feel, too."

"I'm so sorry to hear that. So what  _ do _ you want to do?"

"Well… I really enjoy my science classes. Especially Physics. I think it might be cool to go into teaching, you know? I could teach Physics at the  _ collège  _ or  _ lycée _ level."

"I think you'd be great as a teacher, Adrien! Your students would probably develop major crushes on you, though—you'd have to be careful to avoid a lawsuit." Marinette chuckled, hoping that Adrien would take the comment as the joke she meant it to be.

Thankfully, Adrien laughed as well. "That's true, but I would hope that by the time I get an actual teaching job, I'm already happily married. Then I can just gush about my wife and hopefully none of my students would get any funny ideas."

"For the sake of your reputation, I hope that works." Marinette looked ahead, only to see that they were already at  _ Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier _ . "Wow, that walk went by fast!"

"Yeah, I guess I didn't realize how close you lived to the school, Marinette. That must be really convenient."

Marinette nodded in agreement. "When you're as chronically late as I am, every second counts!"

"That's fair. Anyway, I'll see you around. Good luck with your tests today!"

"You too!" Marinette walked up to where Alya and Nino were saying their goodbyes at the front of the school. "Are you ready to get this over with, Nino?" Marinette asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

Hour after hour, test after test, finally led to the end of the school day. This close to winter, the sun had fully set by the time the  _ Terminale _ students were leaving the building. Though the official test is taken over a period of ten days, the practice tests were all crammed into a single day, leaving most of the graduating class feeling like their brains had been run through a blender.

Alya and Nino were standing just outside the school doors, waiting on Adrien and Marinette to come out. "How did Marinette look when you left the room?" Alya asked her boyfriend.

"Honestly, I couldn't tell if she was even still awake," Nino confessed. "She had her head resting on her arm and her other hand wasn't moving. I'm not sure if she was just deep in thought on one of the questions, or if she'd dozed off."

"Oh boy. That's not good."

"What about Adrien?"

"Well, he was awake, at least, but definitely stressed out. He was running his hands through his hair so much I was afraid he was going to start ripping chunks out."

"That is also not good." Nino frowned and turned back toward the doors of the building, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets in an effort to keep them warm. A moment later, he glanced back over at his girlfriend as he felt her slip her own hand in to join his. Intertwining their fingers, he brought her hand up and pressed a kiss to her knuckles, earning himself a small smile. "You know, you're a stone-cold fox," he teased softly.

"Oh, can it, turtle-boy," Alya countered lovingly, also keeping her voice quiet despite their relative solitude.

Both of the teens' eyes were drawn back to the school by the sound of doors opening, revealing Adrien and his much-abused hair. He wrapped his scarf around his neck as he descended the stairs, his expression shifting from worry to relief as he spotted his friends. "Hey guys! How long were you waiting?"

"Oh, not long, maybe ten-fifteen minutes," Nino said.

"Sorry about that. I just couldn't focus there at the end. I'm completely wiped out." Adrien stepped over to Nino's other side, turning back toward the school. "Any sign of Marinette?"

"Nino was just telling me that he thinks she might have fallen asleep," Alya replied. "Hopefully that isn't the case, but we'll have to wait and see."

Adrien frowned a little at that response. "Did she say why she was so tired?"

"Something about being up until nearly three in the morning. She didn't go into specifics, though."

"Three in the morning? Sounds rough." Adrien had to fight to keep his voice from betraying his suddenly racing thoughts. He was sure that it had to be a coincidence—she must have been up late studying, or unable to sleep due to test anxiety. There was no way that  _ Marinette _ of all people could be… but then again, there was the issue with her lie regarding the Akuma attack on the school last week… But that didn't have anything to do with Ladybug, did it? Maybe he was just reading too much into it. Yeah, that was it.

Adrien was startled out of his thoughts when Alya called out, "Hey, Marinette! Took you long enough!" When he looked up, the midnight-haired girl was just stepping out of the building, a weary smile on her face as she waved weakly at her friends.

"I'm so sorry guys, that last test was killer," Marinette said, zipping up her coat. Her scarf hung low, not yet wrapped around her neck. She picked up her school bag and purse from where she'd set them down on the ground, opting to carry them rather than trying to adjust the straps over her coat before starting down the stairs toward the group.

Adrien stepped forward, calling out, "Marinette, your scarf—" 

Marinette looked up to see Adrien coming toward her, not noticing as her scarf hit the ground in front of her. Between the smooth stone steps, the soft cashmere, and her natural clumsiness, it was a disaster waiting to happen. Marinette's foot slid out from under her as she stepped on the offending strip of fabric, sending her pitching forward. She screwed her eyes shut, throwing out her arms to try to break her fall, her bags flying…

Only to feel a different pair of strong arms wrap around her midsection, hair tickling her cheek as she was braced from below by Adrien's firm body. The insistent smell of Camembert that had been hanging around Adrien the last week or so assaulted her nose. Instantly, her mind was transported to the night before, and almost by instinct her hand came up to card through Adrien's blond locks.  _ So soft… _

Marinette yelped when a soft sound escaped Adrien's mouth where it was pressed into her shoulder. An eerily familiar sound.

Shoving herself away, Marinette somehow managed to keep her feet beneath her as she leaned down to pick up her scarf, quickly wrapping it around her neck several times to cover her face. Adrien's own cheeks burned scarlet red as he gaped at Marinette for a moment. He tore his eyes away from her, mumbling an apology, before he turned to pick up her bags.

Marinette got to her backpack first, shouldering the bag while Adrien picked up her purse. Almost instantly, his mouth started to water as he picked up on a strong smell of warm cookies, sugar and vanilla and chocolate filling his nostrils. His hand was on the clasp of the purse, halfway to flicking it open, before he came to his senses and shoved it into Marinette's hands. "I've gotta go. Bye guys!" Waving awkwardly at Alya and Nino, Adrien turned tail and practically ran around the corner of the building.

Marinette stared after Adrien, her heart racing. He couldn't be— _ could he? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy. Now we're getting into the thick of things!
> 
> To be honest, I have no idea if French schools do any sort of official practice tests for the _Baccalaureat_ , but it makes for a good story point.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rather awkward four-person patrol following the practice tests.

Marinette collapsed onto her chaise face down, groaning into the pillow. "Tikkiiiiiii… Do I _have_ to go on patrol tonight?"

Tikki clicked her tongue rather unsympathetically at her holder. "Marinette, you're the one who scheduled this group patrol in the first place. It's not becoming of a hero to cancel something this important at the last minute."

"I know," Marinette grumbled as she rolled over to face her Kwami. "But I'm exhausted, and after what just happened with Adrien, I'm…" She didn't even know how to put her thoughts into words just yet. The sound he made while she played with his hair… the smell that had been tickling the back of her mind all week… It was all too much for her to comprehend in her current state.

"Well, the transformation will help a bit with the exhaustion, at least," Tikki reasoned.

"That's true… I've noticed that in the past. It's almost like an adrenaline surge, or getting your second wind while staying up all night."

Tikki nodded. "I think you need to go, but I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind if you did cut it a little short tonight."

"Yeah… good idea. But how am I supposed to face Chat, if he's…"

"You'll just have to do your best, Marinette. I'm still not entirely sure what I missed, but I believe you'll do the right thing."

"I hope so… Thanks for listening, Tikki."

"Any time, Marinette." Her Kwami gave her a peck on the cheek, smiling gently at the midnight-haired girl.

"All right, I guess it's time to go." With great effort, Marinette heaved herself to her feet. "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

The quartet of Miraculous holders met up just outside of the Louvre that night. Seeing the exhaustion in her friends’ eyes, she could tell that they were all in the same boat that she was in—no desire to patrol, but feeling the obligation to do so anyway.    
  
“Why don’t we split up into pairs? We can cover more ground that way,” she suggested, conspicuously not looking directly at Chat. “Rena, will you come with me?”   
  
“Of course, Ladybug, but are you sure we can leave the boys to their own devices?” Rena Rouge winked at Carapace and Chat as she spoke.   
  
“They can take care of themselves,” Ladybug replied, turning toward the north. “Rena and I will take the north; Carapace, Chat, you go south. We’ll meet back up here in two hours to debrief before we call it a night.”   
  
“That sounds good to me," Carapace said. Turning to Chat, he asked, “You all right with that, dude?”   
  
“Fine by me.” The black-clad hero was also unusually quiet, not quite meeting anyone’s eyes.

"All right then, let's get this over with. My bed is calling my name."

With a collective nod, the quartet split up, heading in their respective directions. As soon as they were out of earshot of the boys, Rena turned on Ladybug as they made their way across the rooftops of Paris. "All right, LB, you might be able to fool those two knuckleheads, but you can't fool me. What's going on between you and Chat?"

"It's nothing," Ladybug replied tersely. "Chat and I are just fine."

"Oh, please. You know I have three years' worth of video observations of the two of you. You never once looked him in the eye the entire time we were talking. You also stood as far away from him as possible without making it look obvious." When Ladybug leveled Rena with a flat stare, she continued, "I'm pretty sure Carapace didn't notice. I only did because, as previously stated, I've basically been stalking the two of you for three years. Not in a creepy way, but in a journalistic way."

"Right… Look, Rena, you and I both know you had an extremely busy day today, and I did as well, so I really just want to get this patrol over with. If you want to talk about something else, anything else, that's fine; but I am really not in the mood to talk about the current state of my relationship with Chat Noir, okay?"

"Okay, fine," Rena said, a little hurt in her voice.

Ladybug frowned. "I'm sorry. I'm exhausted and not acting like myself. Do you forgive me?"

"Of course. I didn't mean to pry so much. Force of habit, you know?"

"I know. You're going to make a hell of a journalist someday."

"You think so?"

"I know so. I believe in you."

Rena smiled, her eyes a bit watery all of a sudden, "Thanks, Ladybug. That means a lot, coming from you."

Pausing in their patrol for a moment, Ladybug reached over and wrapped her arms around Rena in a hug. "You're welcome." Rena returned the hug readily with a big smile.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chat and Carapace were quiet for the better part of half an hour as they started patrolling the southern part of the city. Chat, lost in his thoughts, barely noticed Carapace struggling to keep up with his blistering pace as he raced across rooftops and leaped over streets. It wasn't until Carapace practically yelled his name as he landed on top of  _ Tour Montparnasse _ that he stopped, turning back to look at the other young man on a lower roof nearby. Wincing, Chat jumped down to rejoin his patrol partner. "Sorry, Carapace… I'm not exactly great company tonight, am I?"

Carapace waved him off, though he was bent double as he caught his breath. After a minute of deep breathing, Carapace looked back up at Chat. "You have something on your mind, dude?" 

"Not really… I mean… yes, I do, but I'm not sure if I can talk about it. It's not something I'm supposed to discuss."

"Oh. Well, if you need help with anything, I'm here for you, dude."

"Thanks... " Chat thought for a moment, then remembered something Ladybug had told him back during the Heroes' Day incident. "Actually, I have a question."

"Shoot!"

"You know Rena Rouge's civilian identity, right?"

Carapace nodded. "Yeah, has Ladybug not told you who we are?" When Chat shook his head, Carapace frowned slightly. "Oh… Okay, well I guess I won't say it then. But yeah, Rena and I both know each other as civilians. Why do you ask?"

"Well… how did you feel when you found out?"

"How did I feel? Mostly confused, I guess. I mean, I'd never met Rena before that Heroes' Day, so I had no idea she was secretly a superhero too. But she already knew, or at least had a hunch, that I was Carapace. I mean, thinking back on it, I guess it  _ was _ kind of obvious. I was trying to keep her safe from her Akumatized sister, Ladybug saved me at the last second, and then like two minutes later she shows back up with Carapace."

As Carapace spoke, Chat nodded along, remembering the day that Carapace had helped Ladybug defeat Anansi. But hearing that day from Carapace's point of view made something click in Chat's head. "Wait… wait a second.  _ Nino? _ "

Carapace gave Chat a weak chuckle. "Heh heh… hey, dude."

"Wait, so if you're Nino… Rena is Alya, isn't she?" Everything made sense now—like why Rena and Carapace already had so much chemistry together. They were dating! When Carapace nodded again, Chat flopped down onto the roof, unable to keep his legs under him.

"Okay, okay, so you're Nino, Rena is Alya… do either of you know who Ladybug's civilian identity is?"

"No way, dude. She hasn't revealed anything to us about who she is in real life. She hasn't told you, either, has she?"

"No, she hasn't… I've asked her before, but she insists that it's important for us to keep our identities safe."

"I mean, I can kind of understand why. Alya—Rena Rouge—and I haven't fought any Akumatized villains since that incident a few years ago, but I know that when I first got my powers as Carapace I was terrified that something would happen and Alya would get hurt. I can't imagine how much worse it will be if she gets attacked by a villain while she isn't Rena Rouge—especially if it's my fault that she is targeted in the first place."

"That's… a good point, actually," Chat conceded. "But you'll be able to watch each other's backs, since you see each other every day."

"True. I think I know where you're coming from—you think that you and Ladybug should reveal your identities to one another, don't you?"

"Yes! I'm glad someone else gets it." 

"Yeah, I get it. I'm not sure I fully agree, but I understand at least."

"What do you mean, you don't fully agree?"

"Well… Look at it this way. If I didn't know Alya was Rena, then I would be concerned for her, sure, but I wouldn't be  _ scared _ for her. You know? Like... hypothetically speaking, if a villain found out who I was, and went after Alya to get to me… I don't know how I would handle it."

"Oh…" Chat thought about that for a moment, picturing Marinette in his head, happy and smiling… and then picturing Hawk Moth standing over her lifeless body… just the mental image made him shudder with fear and tension. "Okay, I see what you're getting at."

"Good. I'm not saying it's necessarily a  _ bad _ idea for you to find out, but I'm also not saying it's something you should rush into. You know?"

"Yeah, I understand. If it happens organically, that's one thing… but maybe trying to force her hand isn't the best idea."

"Definitely not. That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."

"Thanks for the advice. I needed that."

"Any time, dude! Now, let's get back to patrolling so we can finish up and head home. I'm completely wiped out."

Chat nodded in agreement. "Definitely. We have a lot of ground to cover and less than an hour and a half to do it in. I'll try not to leave you behind this time."

"Thanks. I get that you're more experienced at this than me, but you don't have to rub it in my face!"

"Sorry! That was  _ claw _ -fully rude of me." At the pun, Carapace groaned and rubbed his temples with his hands.

"If this is what it's like to patrol with you all the time, I can see why Ladybug needed a break," he replied playfully.

"Hey! Don't you talk about My Lady like that!" Carapace laughed and darted off, Chat leaping after him, starting a game of cat-and-turtle that doubled as their patrol.

* * *

Finally, close to midnight, the heroes returned to their starting point at the Louvre. Ladybug and Rena made it just a few minutes before Chat and Carapace, waiting for the boys on the highest portion of the museum's roof.

"Where have you two slowpokes been?" Rena asked when Chat and Carapace joined them.

"Oh, you know, just off doing guy stuff," Chat replied.

"So, what, having a burping competition or something?"

Chat had the good sense to look scandalized at the suggestion, but Carapace laughed and nudged Chat in the ribs. "Dude, she's on to us!"

Ladybug giggled at Carapace's response. "Looks like you two are getting along well."

"Yeah, I think we're going to be good friends," Chat said, turning to Carapace and offering a fist bump. The green-clad hero returned the gesture readily.

"Well, I think it's about time I hit the road," Rena said, stifling a yawn. "I need to be getting back home soon or my family might realize that I'm gone."

"Actually, I'm in the same boat." Carapace stepped toward Rena as he spoke. "Let me walk you home?"

"I suppose," Rena acquiesced with an overly dramatic sigh. "But only because you're cute. Don't stay up too late, you two!"

"Good night guys! Great work tonight!" Ladybug called as the two headed off toward home. She watched them leave for a minute until they were out of sight, then turned to Chat. "So… looks like it's just you and me, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Chat replied, looking down at his boots intently.

"So… how was your trip?"

"It was fine."

"That's good… Did anything exciting happen while you were gone?"

"Not really."

Ladybug frowned softly, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you don't want to talk to me, Chat, that's fine. But did I do something wrong?"

Ladybug expected any number of things to come out of Chat's mouth—that he was tired, that he couldn't talk about it, that he was angry about something—but what she actually heard was something she absolutely never expected Chat Noir to say. "You stink."

"I—I'm sorry,  _ what _ ?"

"I said, you smell."

" _ I smell _ ? That's the reason you don't want to talk to me? That's pretty rich coming from the guy whose Kwami eats so much Camembert it's practically oozing out of your pores." 

"Oh yeah? Well,  _ your _ Kwami smells like you've stuffed her full of cookie dough!" Chat raised his eyes to glare at Ladybug.

That settled it—there was no way that Chat Noir could ever be Adrien Agreste. Adrien would never say anything like that, especially to Ladybug. "Well, you smell like a… like a hobo who fell in the sewer!"

"You smell like burnt toast."

"Oh, you take that back!" 

"Make me,  _ margarine, _ " Chat spat. With a roar, Ladybug launched herself at him, knocking him to the ground in an all-out tussle.

Somewhere deep in the back of her mind, Ladybug realized that this whole exchange was completely out of character for her—for both of them, in fact. But between the late night, the excruciating tests, and that strange tension between Marinette and Adrien earlier, Ladybug had been walking a tightrope of pent-up emotion. Apparently, the same could be said for Chat. All it had taken for the dam to burst was one exhaustion-fueled comment.

In her moment of introspection, Chat got the upper hand in the wrestling match, grabbing Ladybug's wrists and pinning her to the ground, straddling her hips. Looking up at Chat, Ladybug was about to try to buck him off when their eyes met, a strange frisson of energy coursing down her spine. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw how the moonlight reflected in Chat's luminous green eyes and turned his blond hair to pure liquid gold. Chat, too, seemed lost in Ladybug's eyes, his face softening and his grip on her wrists loosening.

"My Lady..."

" _Chaton_ …"

Their faces slowly came closer together, their breath mingling in the narrowing space between them as Ladybug leaned up and Chat leaned down. Ladybug's eyes were glued to Chat's mouth, her own opening as she wet her suddenly dry lips. The movement of her tongue seemed to draw Chat's eyes as well, a soft groan escaping his mouth.

The sound snapped Ladybug out of her trance-like state and she turned her head away quickly. "I-I should go."

Nodding mutely, Chat clambered off of Ladybug, letting her get to her feet. "I'm sorry for what I said, Bugaboo… Still friends?"

"Of course,  _ Chaton. _ I'm sorry too." Turning away from Chat, she bounded off, leaving him behind on top of the Louvre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for Ladybug and Chat being out of character in this chapter. Blame it on their exhaustion :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A day in the life of Adrien Agreste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An Adrien POV chapter! The beginning italicized part is the main reason for the M rating, but it's not explicit.

_ "Oh, Chaton… That feels so good…" _

_ "I'm glad you're enjoying it, My Lady." _

_ "Please, more… I need all of you, need you inside me…" _

_ "Of course, love. You have me. Just let go. Let me see you." _

_ "Tikki, spots off." _

_ "Marinette…?" _

 

Adrien sat up in bed, chest heaving. It took him a moment to realize he was alone in his bedroom, not on a Parisian rooftop with Ladybug. As his pulse slowed and he calmed down, he reached up to run his fingers through his hair, tugging at the strands. It wasn't the first time he'd had an erotic dream about Ladybug—not by a long shot—and, okay, Marinette had also featured in his late-night fantasies more than once. No one could blame him! He was a red-blooded straight male with an incredibly attractive, kind, funny, amazing friend…

But this was the first time his subconscious had connected the two. And judging by the wet, sticky feeling in his boxers, his subconscious had  _ really _ liked the idea. Groaning in embarrassment and frustration, he glanced over at the clock. It was already nearing five in the morning, and there was no way he could go back to bed like this. By the time he would be out of the shower, it would nearly be his normal wake-up time anyway.

"Plagg, wake up," Adrien muttered, throwing a pillow in the general direction of the couch cushion where his Kwami normally slept. "If I'm awake, you have to be awake too."

"Muh? Wazza… 's early, kid, why're you up right now?"

"Don't want to talk about it," Adrien gritted out as he walked toward the shower, peeling off his soiled boxers as he went.

Plagg sniffed the air almost delicately before a wicked grin crossed his features. "Oh, got a little too excited while you were dreaming, huh? Who was it this time? Ladybug? Bakery girl?"

"I'm not talking about this with you, Plagg, so drop it."

"Ooh, touchy touchy! Must have been  _ really _ embarrassing then… Oh! Was it  _ Nino?" _

_ "Plagg!"  _ Adrien turned toward his Kwami, baring his teeth in anger. Almost immediately realizing what he'd just done, he grimaced and ran his hands through his hair again harshly. "Sorry. That was out of line." With a heavy sigh, he added under his breath, "It was both…"

" _ Both _ ? Kid, I never knew you had it in you!"

"That's not what I meant, Plagg. I meant… in my dream... Ladybug  _ was _ Marinette." He looked down at his feet, feeling almost ashamed to admit it. "I know, stupid, right?"

"Eh heh heh… y-yeah, kid, that's, such a crazy idea…" Plagg's response was unusually weak, prompting Adrien to look back up at his Kwami in bemusement. 

"That's… not the response I expected from you, Plagg."

"Well, I'm tired, and the idea is, as your buzzing friend says, 'Ridiculous.  _ Utterly  _ ridiculous.'" Despite the strong wording, Plagg's voice sounded oddly defensive.

"All right… Anyway, I'm getting in the shower." Adrien made his way into the bathroom, turning on the hot water.

As soon as Plagg was sure he was well and truly under the spray, the black cat Kwami zipped over to the far side of the room, reaching out mentally to contact his polka-dotted counterpart. He needed to make sure Tikki was aware that Adrien was on Ladybug's trail.

* * *

Adrien yawned as he walked from the Gorilla's car to the front door of  _ Lycée Jean-Baptiste Magnier, _ holding an umbrella in one hand. Despite being close to winter, it was about 10 degrees Celsius, so rather than snowfall, Paris was being subjected to cold, blustery rain.  Raising the collar of his jacket in an attempt to shield his face from the elements, Adrien hurried to the door, shaking off his umbrella before he stepped into the welcome warmth of the entryway.

"Morning, Adrien!" Alya called, coming down the hall toward the taller young man. "Some weather, huh? I heard we have a chance of snow later this afternoon."

"Morning, Alya. Yeah, it's pretty gross outside. I'd almost prefer snow if it's going to be this cold."

"Same here. At least with snow, there's a payoff to the cold, you know?"

Adrien nodded in agreement, glancing around the halls; it was only about ten after eight, so there were some students in the halls, but not as many as he knew he would see when it got closer to 8:30. "Let me drop off my things in the locker room and I'll meet you in class," he said.

"All right. I'm going to go say good morning to Nino, then I'll see you there." Alya headed off down the hallway to the right, toward Nino's first class of the day, while Adrien headed to his locker.

Hanging his jacket and umbrella inside, Adrien retrieved the books he hadn't needed at home. Thankfully, none of his teachers had assigned any new homework over the weekend, in anticipation of Monday's testing day, so most of his textbooks were still in his locker. He placed the books for his morning classes in his backpack alongside his notebooks, pens, and highlighters. He was about to close his locker when he heard a familiar voice speaking with someone walking into the locker room. Somehow, from all the way across the room, he caught the unmistakable sweet smell of cookies, making his stomach flip strangely and his heart skip a beat.

"...you have any plans for the weekend?" Marinette asked. Adrien bit his lip as he glanced over to see who she was speaking with. When he saw the short blond bob of Rose Lavillant and Juleka Couffaine's punky undercut, he let out a breath that he didn't realize he was holding.

"Oh! Good morning Adrien!" Rose said. "Sorry, we didn't see you there!" Juleka nodded in greeting, while Marinette very obviously looked away from him.

"Hey, good morning," Adrien replied, giving the girls a polite smile. "It's been a while—how are things going?"

"Oh, things are going really well! Juleka's school is closed today, so she walked me to school this morning," Rose said. Adrien vaguely remembered that Juleka was attending a different school, but he didn't know where. "How have you been? We don't get to see you hardly at all anymore!"

"Oh, you know how it is. I'm always either in class or working." Rose nodded, her face solemn.

"I remember it was like that in  _ collège _ too. Well, I hope you have a good day! It was great seeing you, Adrien!" Rose smiled brightly at the blond.

"Good to see you, Adrien," Juleka added, voice as impassive as ever. 

"You too. Have a good day." The two girlfriends walked out of the locker room arm in arm, leaving Marinette and Adrien relatively alone. "So… about yesterday, I—" 

"Adrien, I—" Marinette started. Both teens blushed as they spoke simultaneously, not quite meeting each other's eyes. "You first."

"Marinette, I wanted to apologize about yesterday… for the way I just ran off and left you guys alone."

"O-oh, it's fine! It really wasn't a big deal."

"Well, I wanted to apologize anyway. I felt like such a jerk afterward."

"It's fine. I accept your apology. I, um, actually wanted to thank you, for keeping me from falling."

"You're welcome, Marinette." Adrien finally looked up at Marinette properly for the first time, his stomach doing that weird flipping thing again as he met her bluebell orbs. In that moment, his mind oh-so-helpfully supplied him with the image of Marinette from his dream the night before, and a brilliant red blush appeared on his cheeks as he tore his eyes away and turned back toward his locker to hide the physical evidence of his thought process. "A-anyway, I should get going, I told Alya I was going to meet her in class…"

"All right… have a good day, Adrien," Marinette said, her voice sounding very small.

"You too, Marinette," Adrien replied, looking in her general direction and giving her a small smile. He closed his locker and hurried out of the room, letting out a heavy sigh. God, he felt like such a basket case! He couldn't even look at her properly, much less speak to her like a normal human being.

He didn't notice that during the whole exchange, Nino and Alya had both entered the locker room, watching and listening to most of his exchange with Marinette.

* * *

"Hey, Adrien, do you want to get lunch with Nino and me today?" Alya asked as they left their third period class to head on to fourth period. "Nino is paying for once."

"Uh, sure, that sounds good. I can pay for my own lunch, though, it's fine. Will, uh, will Marinette be there? Have you asked her?"

"Yeah, I did, but she didn't really say one way or the other. I think she might be going home for lunch today."

"Ah. Okay." Adrien glanced out into the courtyard; the rain was coming down even harder now than it was this morning. It was definitely getting colder, too. "I'd hate for her to have to walk in this mess, though. Do you think she would object if I called the Gorilla to come pick her up?"

"That's really nice of you to offer, Adrien, but I think she likes going out in the rain, actually."

"Oh. All right, then." He and Alya stepped into their fourth period classroom, making it to their seats and pulling out their materials just in time for class to start.

The class period passed by much too slowly for Adrien's liking. When it came to most of his mathematics classes, he did well, but he always struggled with Statistics. It didn't help that he'd been preoccupied most of the school day, unable to get his encounter with Marinette out of his head. He did his best to follow along, but more than once he found himself doodling in the margins of his notebook paper.

He practically bolted out of the room in relief when the bell rang, Alya having to jog to catch up to him. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" she asked him.

"Sorry, Alya," Adrien replied, chagrined. "I don't know why, but I'm feeling off today. Not like sick, just… I can't seem to focus on class, you know?"

"I get it. Hopefully lunch will help." Adrien nodded in silent agreement; at this point, just being out of class would help more than anything. "So we were thinking of just going to the café down the street. Does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah, sounds fine. Let me get my things out of my locker and I'll meet you at the door?"

"Oh, just go on ahead, I'll meet you at the café directly. I've got to get something from the library quick."

"Okay. See you in a few minutes." Adrien headed to his locker, swapping out his school bag for his coat and umbrella. He headed outside and down the street, shivering a little as the wind picked up. Thankfully his woolen coat was treated to repel the rain, but it wasn't helping against the biting wind as much as he would have liked. "Damn, I should have brought my scarf," he mumbled to Plagg.

"Hey, don't blame me for you being forgetful this morning," the black cat Kwami countered.

"I'm not blaming you, I'm just making an observation in your direction."

"Good. Because it wasn't my fault. There are a lot of things that  _ are _ my fault, but you forgetting your scarf isn't one of them."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Adrien gave Plagg a fond, if exasperated, look. "Anyway, let's get out of this weather."

"Agreed. All this rain is making my fur clumpy."

Adrien hurried down the street to the café, ducking inside as soon as he got to the door. He carefully slid his coat off his shoulders after resting his umbrella against the wall near the door, next to a handful of others. The café wasn't too busy—not surprising, considering the weather outside.

Casting his eyes around the room, his heart skipped a beat once again when his gaze fell on a familiar head of midnight-dark hair. Marinette was sitting alone at a table for four, her head resting on one hand as she stared out the plate glass window at the front of the store. The thin, gray light coming in from outside seemed to make her glow somehow, her pale skin lighting up like an ethereal being from another world. She seemed to be lost in thought over something, her brow furrowed slightly. Adrien's hands started to reach out subconsciously, wanting to smooth her troubles away and restore her face to her usual smile…

Adrien mentally smacked himself. He was getting  _ far _ too poetic. He thought he'd left his swooning Shakespearean phase behind in  _ collège _ ! Shaking his head a bit as if to clear the Bardic influence from his mind, he approached the table. "Hey, Marinette," he called out as he approached, not wanting to startle her by sneaking up on her while she was preoccupied. "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it."

At the sound of her name, Marinette jumped a bit, looking around in confusion until her eyes caught sight of Adrien approaching her table. He could see her visibly tense up as she realized who was speaking to her, but she relaxed a moment later. Even despite the myriad scents filling the café, the smell of cookies he'd come to associate with Marinette stuck out to him, drawing him in like a beacon.

"Hey, Adrien," she replied as he took a seat at the table. "I wasn't sure if  _ you _ were going to make it. Have you seen Nino? We were halfway here when he said he left something in his locker that he needed to go get."

Adrien shook his head no. "I didn't see him while I was walking here. Alya told me she had to get something from the library, so maybe the two of them ran into each other and are on their way now."

Marinette nodded, seemingly more to herself than in acceptance of Adrien's words. "That makes sense. I was just a little worried that something happened—like maybe he slipped and fell and hit his head or something."

"I'm sure here's fine," Adrien replied with a smile. "Don't worry. If they don't show up in a few minutes, then we can go look for them, okay?"

"You're right. I'm just…" Marinette trailed off, and based on her expression, Adrien got the distinct impression that her unspoken words were something along the lines of  _ "I'm not comfortable being here alone with you right now." _ As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his stomach twisted up in knots and he drew back a bit from her.

"H-hey, are you hungry? Have you ordered yet? I'll get lunch today. It's the least I can do after yesterday." Adrien didn't normally speak this quickly, but for some reason, it felt like there was a disconnect between his brain and his mouth at the moment.

"Ah—okay, thanks. No, I haven't ordered yet, I was waiting for everyone to get here…"

"I'll call Nino and see where they are. I don't think I can wait much longer to eat." Pulling out his phone, Adrien noticed a new text in his notifications from his best friend. He hadn't heard the alert sound due to the noise in the café. "Oh, hey, Nino texted me actually."

"What did he say?"

"He said…" Opening the text so he could read the full contents, he continued, "He's sorry but... something came up at home and he and Alya are going there instead for lunch." He didn't continue on to the  _ Hope you and Marinette have fun  _ and winking emoji that ended the message. "Looks like it's just you and me… I hope that's okay."

Marinette's eyes widened and she nodded quickly. "Of course that's okay! I'm sorry, Adrien, I've been spaced out a lot today. I don't know if it's the weather or what."

"Don't worry about it, Marinette! To be honest, I've felt the same way all day. I couldn't focus at all during morning classes."

"Me neither! It was like—like a fog or something… You don't think it could be an Akumatized villain, do you?"

"I mean, I guess anything's possible, but usually Akumatized villains are really upfront about wanting the Miraculous, aren't they?"

"True…" Marinette shrugged. "I don't know then."

"Well, let's get something to eat, maybe that will help." Adrien flagged down a waiter to come and take their order.

A rather awkward silence fell over the table once the waiter left to ring in their order. Marinette was still looking out the window, her face an unreadable mask to Adrien's eyes. Was she still mad at him? She  _ said _ it was fine, but if everything was really fine, she wouldn't be avoiding him like this, would she?

Clearing his throat, Adrien spoke up. "Marinette?"

"Y-yeah?" Marinette's bluebell eyes met Adrien's.

"Do you remember… the Heroes' Day picnic you hosted for us back in  _ collège _ ?" Marinette's cheeks flushed a bit as she nodded. "I… um. I wanted to… to apologize."

"Apologize? What do you mean?"

"I know it took a lot for you to give me that kiss on the cheek… I always thought you were, you know, still kind of mad at me? For the gum thing? But when you gave me that kiss, it made me realize…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked for the right words. "It made me realize that you  _ weren't _ mad at me. That it was exactly the opposite. And I'm sorry I didn't give you a clearer answer regarding my own feelings."

Marinette went very still, staring at Adrien, barely even breathing. "And… what were your feelings?"

"Well… at that time… I was basically completely devoted to someone else. It's kind of silly, actually, looking back at it."

"Who was it? If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, it was kind of more of a celebrity crush, I guess, looking at it from this angle… it was Ladybug."

" _ Ladybug _ ," Marinette breathed. 

"Yeah… crazy, right? I basically completely dedicated myself to my love for a superhero." Adrien knew he was treading a very fine line here; he needed to be careful not to say anything that would reveal his identity as Chat Noir. Better to play up the 'celebrity crush' aspect of this story to throw off any suspicion. "I'm sure there were lots of people our age who had crushes on her, though."

"Y-yeah, that's fair… I had no idea you had a crush on Ladybug when we were younger!" Marinette's face relaxed somewhat, even breaking out into a small smile as the waiter brought them their food. After a couple of minutes of silence as they started to eat, Marinette continued,. "So, what, regular girls weren't good enough for you?"

"No, no, it wasn't that! I mean, I've always thought you were an awesome person, Marinette. It was just… the very first time I ever saw Ladybug, back when she and Chat were fighting Stoneheart, she just looked so… terrified, and yet she didn't hesitate to do what she needed to do. I really admire that about her."

"Wow, Adrien, that's… Um, why are you telling me all of this?"

Adrien flushed himself as he realized how it sounded—like he was some fanboy. "Sorry, I had a point, I just. I got off on a tangent. Anyway, the important thing is, I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that I couldn't respond to your feelings properly back then. I'm so glad we're friends and you mean a lot to me, and I care about you."

Marinette smiled softly, but her expression seemed sad, somehow. "Thanks, Adrien… If we're being perfectly honest, I actually turned someone down back then, too… He was in love with me, or at least he thought he was."

Wait,  _ what _ ? Someone else had feelings for Marinette? Alya and Nino never said anything about it! "Wait, did Nathaniel actually tell you he was in love with you?" Adrien asked in confusion, figuring she was talking about their shy classmate who had kidnapped her while he was Akumatized.

"No! No, it wasn't Nathaniel. We worked that out a long time ago. I'm not sure if you know this person."

"I mean, I am kind of a well-known figure, Marinette. I know a lot of people in Paris." Being the face of the  _ Gabriel  _ brand meant that Adrien had a lot of public appearances around the city.

Marinette sighed, looking down at her hands, which were clasped around her cup of coffee. "Okay… you probably do know him. But… I'd rather not get too into it, if that's okay? It's still kind of a sore subject between us, and it's not fair of me to spill someone else's secrets."

"That's fair," Adrien replied quickly, trying to quell the sudden uproar of an angry, green monster in his chest. It felt achingly familiar, taking him back to the time that a different artist had designs on Ladybug, leading to a showdown between two Chat Noirs. "So. Um." He pulled out his wallet as the waiter approached with their bill, dropping money into the tray to cover the tab. "I guess we should get going back to school."

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." The two of them were quiet as they put their coats back on and grabbed their belongings.

Marinette wore a long hooded raincoat rather than carrying an umbrella, so Adrien held his out to her when they stepped back outside. When she blinked up at him with wide eyes, he was reminded of his very first week at  _ Collège Francoise Dupont.  _ "Want to share?" he asked her with a half-smile.

"S-sure," Marinette replied, her face flushing a cute red color. She walked close to his side so they were both protected from the rain; thankfully, the wind seemed to have subsided a bit, so the rain wasn't being driven nearly sideways. The two teens walked the short distance back to school in a companionable silence, both deep in their own thoughts.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the end of the day comes another patrol, and Ladybug puts two and two together.

By the time the sun went down and school was let out for the evening, the temperature had dropped enough for the rain to convert over to a freezing drizzle. And by the time Ladybug and Chat converged on the roof of the  _ Notre Dame de Paris  _ around 9 that night, snowflakes were drifting about the city as the last of the precipitation moved through the area.

Ladybug couldn't help but smile as she noticed Chat wearing the scarf and hat that Marinette had made for him. "Don't you look cozy," she teased gently. Much of the awkward tension between them from earlier in the week had dissipated and they were mostly back to their old dynamic.

"Well, when a princess makes you an absolutely  _ purr- _ fect gift, you can't help but use it!" Chat replied. Ladybug just chuckled at the pun. "But don't worry, My Lady, you'll always be the number one woman in my heart. So, where are we patrolling tonight?"

"I got a notification from the police that the 6me  _ arrondissement _ has seen a rash of break-ins recently. I thought we could focus our patrol over there for tonight."

"Then lead the way, My Lady! I'll follow you to the ends of the earth."

"Hopefully that won't be necessary,  _ Chaton _ , but thank you for the offer."

It was a quick jaunt to the 6me  _ arrondissement _ , just over the river from  _ Notre-Dame de Paris _ . They hopped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping an eye out for any trouble, but the inclement weather seemed to be driving any would-be criminals into their homes for the night. After over an hour of patrol, the two heroes were chilled to the bone despite the protection of their magical suits. "Why don't we call it a night and find somewhere warm to curl up, My Lady?" Chat suggested. "It seems like all is well here tonight."

"Maybe you're right… A hot drink doesn't sound too bad right now," Ladybug replied. "Hey, isn't there a café near here that we protected from an Akumatized villain one time?"

"Yeah, I think there is. Want to go see if they're still open?"

"Sure!"

The two heroes headed over to the café in question; it looked like the employees were just closing up shop for the night, but at the sight of Paris's masked heroes, they eagerly unlocked the door. "Welcome Ladybug, Chat Noir! What brings you out at this time of night?"

"Oh, you know, just patrolling the streets, keeping Paris safe," Ladybug replied with her usual confident smile. "We just wanted to pop in and see how you all were doing, and to possibly get a hot drink for the road?"

"Of course, of course! It's on the house! Thank you again for all you did to help us out. I don't know what would have happened with that angry customer if you two hadn't stepped in."

Ladybug blushed a bit under the continued praise, while Chat simply puffed out his chest in pride. "This cat's no stranger to dealing with old ladies," he said with a wink and a grin. The waitress making their coffees turned just in time to catch the full force of Chat's charms, nearly dropping the cups as she practically swooned on the spot. She handed the cups over with trembling hands, Chat retrieving them both. "Thank you so much, but we'd better be getting back to our patrol," he added. "You all have a great night, and stay safe!"

"You too! Thanks again!" The employees waved them off with smiles. Chat and Ladybug made their way back up to the rooftops to find a place sheltered from the biting wind, sitting down to drink their coffees.

"So, Chat… I have a question," Ladybug asked after a few minutes of quietly enjoying their drinks.

"Of course, Bugaboo, you know you can ask me anything," Chat replied easily.

"Have you ever had someone who liked you, but you didn't like them back?"

Chat's eyes widened and he choked as he sipped on his coffee. Pulling the cup away from his mouth, he cleared his throat and wiped his face with the back of his hand. "I beg your pardon?"

"In your civilian life, have you ever had someone who had a crush on you, but you didn't like them back?" Ladybug repeated.

"Of course! This might pain you to hear, My Lady, but in civilian life, I'm something of a  _ cat _ -sanova. There are plenty of girls who love me, but I only have eyes for you."

"I'm being serious! I'm talking like, full-on, declared feelings for you. Anyone you might have considered dating if it weren't for being a superhero?"

Chat brought one hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully as he pondered Ladybug's question. "Well… there is one girl."

"Okay?"

"But me being a superhero doesn't really factor into it, because she's met me both as Chat Noir and as my secret identity. Really, the biggest reason I turned her down was because of you, Bugaboo."

"Chat… please don't take this the wrong way, but I'm going to ask you a very serious question. Why do you still love me?"

"Why do I love you? That's like… that's like asking why the sky is blue instead of green. I just do. I think part of it might be because of my father. He might not have been the best father, but he was an endlessly devoted husband. He still has the pictures of my mother in his study, even after he started dating this new woman. When he told me he was moving on… he made sure to impress upon me that he would always love my mother, and that he would never forget her."

Ladybug looked over at Chat with wide eyes as he spoke, his words transporting her back to a conversation with Adrien a few months ago…

 

_ "Holy shit, guys," Adrien said as he jogged up to his friends one morning before school. "You'll never guess what Father told me last night." _

_ "What is it, dude?" Nino asked curiously. _

_ "Apparently, he and Nathalie have been a thing for a while? And now Nathalie's pregnant!" _

_ "What? That's crazy!" Alya replied. "How long have they been together?" _

_ "He said it's been a few years. I guess since before we left  _ collège _. But he didn't want to tell anyone earlier, since Nathalie's such an important part of the company." _

_ "That makes sense," Marinette replied. "How do you feel about it?" _

_ Adrien gave a one-shouldered, noncommittal shrug. "I mean, if it makes them happy, then that's great. Father told me that he would always love Mother, and that he would never forget her. I feel like that's the most important thing, you know?" _

_ "Sure. Well, I'm really happy for them. And congratulations, big brother!" _

 

Snapping back to the present, Ladybug looked Chat dead in the eye. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"What? Why?"

"I just remembered some school work I need to do," Ladybug replied lamely as she pushed herself to her feet and dashed off. She headed northeast, crossing the Seine toward Adrien's house.

When she got close to  _ Place du Châtelet _ , she transformed back into Marinette in a deserted alley, pulling out her cell phone. Dialing Adrien's number, she brought the phone to her ear, waiting for him to answer as she headed out of the alley and down the street toward the back of Adrien's house.

Adrien picked up after the third ring. "Hey Marinette! What's up!"

"Hey, Adrien!" Marinette said, trying to keep her voice even. "I was just calling to see what you're up to. I just finished my homework but I'm not ready to go to bed yet."

"That's fair. I'm actually at home practicing piano at the moment. Do you mind if I call you back?"

"Oh, that's fine! You don't have to call back. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, see you at school! Have a good night, Marinette."

"You too, Adrien." Marinette hung up the phone, standing quietly at the fence bordering the Agreste property for a long moment before she turned her back on Adrien's empty bedroom.

* * *

The next few days were hellish, both as Marinette and as Ladybug. At school, Marinette was sneaking around, doing her best to avoid seeing or talking to Adrien as much as possible—always rushing in and out of the locker rooms, heading home for lunch, and just generally begging off whenever Alya or Nino suggested some kind of group outing. Meanwhile, Ladybug was outright refusing to patrol with Chat, only going out if she would be with with Rena Rouge or Carapace.

Finally, during Friday night's patrol with Rena, the fox holder got Ladybug in a corner on top of the  _ Musée de Montmartre _ . "I'm not moving until you tell me what's been going on this week," she said firmly. "Why are you avoiding Chat like the plague?"

Ladybug looked down at the rooftop beneath her feet, her face flushed with embarrassment at being called out on her actions. "Rena… I think I know who Chat is behind the mask." Her voice was small and meek as he spoke, pulling her yo-yo off of her waist and fiddling with the string nervously..

Rena's eyes widened and she dropped her arms where she had been caging Ladybug in. Taking a step back, she crossed her arms over her chest. "All right, spill. Tell me  _ everything _ ."

"I can't tell you who he is… but I will tell you as much as I can." Ladybug slumped against the wall behind her, sliding down until she had her knees drawn up to her chest. "So. I don't think you're experiencing this yet, but…about two weeks ago, I started noticing Chat's smell. I mean,  _ really _ noticing it."

"Okay? What does that have to do with anything?" Rena sat down cross-legged in front of Ladybug, leaning her arms on her knees.

"Apparently it's a Miraculous thing. You and Carapace will probably start to experience it too, after a few years of being full-time Miraculous holders. Anyway, it wasn't a big deal, except… I started noticing that same smell around someone I know in my civilian life, too. It took me a while to put two and two together, but the more I'm around these people, the more I come to notice so many similarities between the two."

"Oh." Rena winced a bit. "That does sound tough. Do I know who this person is?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Rena. That would be a gross breach of trust.  _ I'm _ not even supposed to know who he is. Though that's  _ if _ this isn't all one big coincidence."

"Okay, fair."

"But I'm just… ugh, part of me is really mad at Chat, if I'm being perfectly honest." 

"Why are you mad at him?" Rena's eyes flicked over to the side, but Ladybug didn't notice, too busy fiddling with her yo-yo string. Behind them, Chat Noir had just landed on the rooftop, staying out of sight of the polka-dotted hero. He made sure to keep himself downwind of her as well so she wouldn't be alerted to his presence by scent. She didn't seem to notice his presence, thankfully, so he crouched down in the shadows.

"We had a stupid argument the other night after you and Carapace left… both of us said some really shitty things to each other, to the point of practically getting physically violent. Then the next night we had a discussion about love, and he told me a story about one of his parents that was basically the exact same wording as something one of my friends in my civilian form said. I was so flustered by the similarity that I came up with a lame excuse to leave. That led to me calling the civilian friend, and, well… he said he was home, but I was standing outside his house looking in his bedroom windows, and his bedroom was empty."

"How long were you there?" Rena asked. "Was there any possibility he might have been in a different room?"

"I was only there a few minutes, but he said he was doing something specific, and he does it in his bedroom. I mean, I guess there is a possibility he could have been in the bathroom, or maybe in another room in the house, but the lights were off in his bedroom." Ladybug shook her head. "If he is who I think he is, then he's been lying his ass off to me for years, not to mention basically rubbing his crush on Ladybug right in my face."

"Okay, not touching the whole 'lying his ass off' thing, because to be fair, all of us are lying about one thing or another involving the superhero stuff." Ladybug had the decency to look chagrined as Rena made her point. "So, you're pretty sure you know who Chat is behind the mask. Is that a problem? Is he someone you hate?"

No, that's just it—I'm having a hard time with this because… because I can't reconcile Chat's feelings for me and my feelings for his other identity. I've been in love with his civilian identity for years, while he loves Ladybug, but he doesn't know that that girl and Ladybug are the same person. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

"Again, I'm not 100 percent certain about Chat's secret identity, but… I'm afraid if he ever figured out who I am, who I  _ really _ am, he would realize that Ladybug isn't the kind of person he thought she was."

Rena nodded sadly, reaching out to put a comforting hand on Ladybug's shoulder. "Well. I don't know who you are behind the mask, but it sounds like the you as Ladybug has nothing to worry about. If you're half as kind and heroic and courageous in your regular life as you are when you're Ladybug, you're a pretty great person in my book."

Ladybug gave Rena a wan smile. "Thank you."

The sudden sound of shifting footsteps behind her drew Ladybug's attention, and she turned her head sharply to see Chat walking up to them. "H-hey, Ladybug… Sorry if I'm interrupting." Chat cleared his throat. "I know you haven't wanted to see me, but I was hoping the three of us could patrol together? If you don't mind."

Ladybug pushed herself to her feet, turning to face Chat fully. "If you'll forgive me for avoiding you, then I don't mind," she replied quietly.

"Of course, Bugaboo. You know I  _ cat _ stay mad at you for long."

Ladybug gave a small chuckle at the pun. "That was bad even for you,  _ Chaton _ ."

Chat just grinned brightly, hooking his arms around Ladybug and Rena's shoulders. "So, it's just me and my two favorite ladies. Where are we patrolling tonight?"

"I was thinking we could scope out the 10me and 11me  _ arrondissements _ tonight," Ladybug suggested.

"An excellent suggestion as always, My Lady. Rena, do you mind giving the two of us just a moment?"

Rena met Ladybug's gaze, wanting to make sure she was okay with being alone with Chat; the polka-dotted hero gave a single nod in confirmation. "All right. I'll meet you two at the  _ Place de la Bastille? _ "

"Perfect. We'll be right behind you!" With a nod of her own, Rena leapt off of the museum's roof, making her way southeast through the city toward the former site of the Bastille prison.

"So what did you need,  _ Chaton _ ?" Ladybug asked.

"I just wanted a moment alone with my number-one favorite lady; is that too much to ask?"

Ladybug crossed her arms over her chest, nonplussed. "Chat… I know you were listening. I could smell you, even with the wind blowing your scent away."

Chat's face fell a bit at that piece of information. "Bugaboo, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry—"  Ladybug silenced the black cat with a finger pressed to his lips.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize. If you want me to back off and forget everything, just say the word. I know it's important that we keep our identities secret."

Reaching up, Chat took Ladybug's hand in both of his own, pressing a kiss to the back of it and giving her a wink. "I'm just sad that you have me at something of a disadvantage. But I'll make it up to you soon enough, My Lady." Ladybug's cheeks flushed at the brazen display of affection, but she didn't resist as Chat pulled her into a hug. "Besides… don't you think this little game of cat-and-bug is exciting?" he whispered into her ear. He pulled back, his grin even wider as he felt the shiver race down her spine from the feeling of his hot breath on her sensitive skin.

In response, she lightly whapped him on the chest, pushing out of his grip. "Last one to the Bastille is a dirty rat!" she sing-songed to him playfully before loosing her yo-yo to launch herself off the roof. With a bark of laughter, Chat followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was initially going to be two separate chapters, but I merged them together during the first draft. I didn't like the idea of leaving it on a cliffhanger!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette gets a surprise after school on Saturday, and Adrien has an actual conversation with his father.

After school on Saturday, Marinette was sitting in her bedroom working on a new design when she heard her mother's voice from downstairs. "Marinette? A courier just delivered a package for you!"

Marinette cocked her head in confusion, getting up and walking over to the open trapdoor. "Who is it from?" she asked as she made her way down to the main floor of the house.

Sabine met Marinette at the foot of the stairs. The package in her hands was a little smaller than a hardback book, wrapped in standard brown paper. "The return address doesn't have a name, but it says it came from  _ Place du Châtelet. _ Do you know anyone who lives in that part of town?"

Marinette's eyes went wide and she snatched the package out of her mother's hands. "That's where Adrien lives,  _ Maman _ !" She tore into the package quickly. Underneath the brown paper was a white box with an envelope taped to it. With trembling fingers, Marinette opened the envelope first, finding a letter inside. Her eyes roved over the paper hungrily, recognizing Adrien's familiar handwriting.

 

> _ Marinette, _
> 
> _ I hope this letter finds you well! _
> 
> _ As you may already know, given your interest in the fashion industry, the Gabriel fashion company will be hosting a fashion show to celebrate our recent collaboration with Spadafora Leatherworks. Since you have had a design showcased in a Gabriel show in the past, Father said I could offer you and your family passes to come to the show next Saturday night at 20:00. Please let me know if you will be able to make it. _
> 
> _ I hope you will also accept the included gift as a small token of my feelings for you. _
> 
> _ See you soon, _
> 
> _ Adrien Agreste _

 

Marinette bit her lip as she lifted the lid off of the box. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw what was inside—a gorgeous black and green pendant hanging from a black leather choker. The pendant appeared to be made of silver, with peridot-green crystals surrounding an oval-shaped black stone, probably onyx or black agate. The whole pendant was about the size of her thumb. The design and coloring of the necklace immediately reminded Marinette of a certain black cat.

Alongside the necklace, the box also held three lanyards with plastic cards hanging from them, indicating that their holders would be granted VIP access to the  _ Gabriel  _ fashion show at the  _ Paris Expo Porte de Versailles  _ the following Saturday night. With a squeal of delight, she turned to her mother, who was still standing nearby. " _ Maman _ , Adrien invited us to his fashion show next weekend! You and Papa and me!"

"Oh? That's certainly nice of him! What night is it?"

"It's next Saturday at 8 in the evening. I know that's late for you and Papa, but please say you'll come!"

Sabine grimaced as she looked over at the calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen. "I'm so sorry, Marinette, but your father and I already have plans for next Saturday. We have a big catering order for a party on Sunday, so we'll be needing to work late to get that ready."

"Oh… all right," Marinette replied, her shoulders drooping a bit in disappointment.

"Why don't you invite Alya and Nino? I'm sure they'll be willing to go with you."

"Oh! Good idea!" Marinette gave her mom a quick hug before running back upstairs to call her friends.

She called Alya first, figuring that there was a good chance she and Nino were actually together at the moment. Alya answered almost immediately, as usual. "Hey Marinette! What's happening?"

"Hey Alya! Are you and Nino busy next Saturday night?" Marinette asked her best friend, pacing rather nervously across her bedroom floor.

"Hmm, let me check with him, he's right here…" Marinette could hear the two conferring quietly in the background for a few moments. "We were thinking about going to catch a movie, but we can do that another day. Why, what's up?"

"Well, Adrien's father is hosting a fashion show next Saturday night, and Adrien sent me three VIP passes for it. They were supposed to be for my parents, but they aren't going to be able to come. Are you two interested?"

"Of course! Getting the VIP treatment at a fancy fashion show and getting to see Adrien? You know we'll be there."

"Awesome! That's great!"

"Just text me the details as far as time and place, okay?"

"Sure, I'll send it over right away!" Marinette grinned widely as she plopped back down at her desk. "Make sure to wear something really nice, okay?"

"Of course, girl! Are you going to design something special for the occasion?"

Marinette glanced back at the box she'd set down near her sewing machine, thinking back on the gift inside. "I think so. I actually just recently came up with a design, so I think I'll try to make it to wear that night."

"Sounds good! Hey, why don't I come over to your place after school next Saturday and we can get ready together?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect! Then Nino can meet us here and we can all go to the show together!"

"That sounds like a plan to me. I'll let Nino know."

"Okay! Well, you two have a great afternoon—I've got to get to work!"

"Have fun, Marinette! Don't work too hard!"

"Bye!" Marinette hung up the phone, quickly snapping a photo of the back of one of the VIP badges to give Alya all the pertinent information regarding the fashion show. Once that text was sent, she messaged Adrien privately on their chat program on her computer.

 

[4:24 PM]  **MariDC** : Hey Adrien! I got your package! Thanks so much for the invitation.   
Unfortunately, my parents won't be able to make it, so I invited Alya and Nino. I hope that was okay.  
Also, that necklace was beautiful. Where did you get it?

 

Messages sent, Marinette stood from her desk to start rifling through her fabric collection to see if she had the right material for the dress she had in mind. While she was sorting, she heard the notification that Adrien had responded. Darting back over to her computer, she eagerly read Adrien's response.

 

[4:28 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** : Good afternoon Marinette! I'm glad you got the package!  
That should be fine. I'll let Nathalie know to update the guest list.  
I'm glad you like it. It was actually my mother's.

 

Marinette's eyes widened and a flush bloomed over her cheeks at the last comment, her fingers flying over her keyboard.

  
  


[4:29 PM]  **MariDC** : Adrien! You didn't have to give me your mother's necklace! That's… that's way too special!

[4:30 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** : I know, that's why I wanted you to have it.  
You're very special, Marinette. More than you know.

 

Marinette's fingers froze, her jaw going slack at Adrien's response. He thought she was special… Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. After a long minute, she finally "rebooted" and started typing again.

 

[4:33PM]  **MariDC** : Adrien… I don't know what to say.  
Other than thank you, of course.  
I'll cherish this gift.

 

[4:34 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** . You're welcome. :)  
I hope you enjoy the show next weekend! Father says it's going to be really big.

 

[4:35 PM]  **MariDC** : I'm sure I will! You know I love watching you on the catwalk.  
I mean, watching you modeling.  
Watching models.  
Ugh, you know what I mean, right?

 

A moment later, Adrien sent a string of crying-with-laughter emoji.

 

[4:38 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** : I think I know what you mean. And that's exactly why I wanted to invite you.  
You have a real talent for art and an eye for fashion. I love looking at your designs, and I know that my father recognizes your talent too.  
I thought you'd enjoy getting to see some of the latest designs Father and M. Spadafora came up with, since the Milan show was a private event.

[4:41 PM]  **MariDC** : I'm really looking forward to it!  
And I think I'm actually going to try making a new dress to wear. It will be my first big foray into formalwear.

[4:42 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** : That's awesome! I can't wait to see it!  
I bet it will be beautiful.

[4:43 PM]  **MariDC** : Thanks! I'm going to get started on it now. Have a good afternoon!

[4:44 PM]  **AdrienAgreatest** : Yeah, I should get back to my piano lessons too. Bye Marinette!

[4:44 PM]  **MariDC** : Bye Adrien!

 

Closing the chat window, Marinette went back over to her fabrics. After a few more minutes of searching, though, she realized she didn't have what she needed to be able to pull off the design she had in mind. Making her way down to the bakery, she poked her head in the back door of the bakery's kitchen. "Papa, would you let  _ Maman  _ know I'm going out for a bit? I need to get some fabric for a project."

"All right, Marinette. Be careful. It's nearly dark out."

"I'll be careful, Papa! Love you!"

* * *

Adrien leaned back in his computer chair as Marinette went offline, looking over at Plagg nervously. "Do you think the necklace was too much? I just… when I saw it in Mother's things, I couldn't help it…"

"I mean, you  _ did _ technically sneak into your mother's old bedroom and steal a piece of her jewelry. What could go wrong?" Plagg asked.

"Hey, I told Nathalie what I was doing! She's the one who told me Father wouldn't mind."

A knock at the door made Adrien jump, and he shooed Plagg into his usual hiding place while he crossed the room to open the door. "Father?" he asked in surprise when he saw Gabriel standing on the other side of the threshold. "What's going on?"

"Nathalie told me you wanted to take a piece of your mother's jewelry. I just wanted to ask why," Gabriel replied, his voice almost eerily calm. The emotionless expression on the older man's face made Adrien nervous somehow.

"W-well… you see, Father… there's… this girl at school."

"May I come in, Adrien?"

"Oh, of course!" Adrien stepped aside, letting Gabriel enter the room. The two of them took a seat on the couch near the window.

"Now, tell me more about this girl, Adrien."

"Yes, Father. Do you remember Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"

"The name sounds familiar, but I'm afraid I can't place it," Gabriel admitted.

"Do you remember the hat design competition you held at my school back in  _ collège _ ? She was the girl who designed the pigeon-feather hat. She had her signature hidden in the design?"

"Oh, yes, I do remember her. She was a bit shy, wasn't she?"

Adrien nodded in agreement, his cheeks a bit flushed as they talked about Marinette. "Yes, but she's one of my closest friends, and I… well…" Adrien flushed; it was hard enough talking about his feelings with Nino, but to his own  _ father _ …!

Gabriel put a hand on Adrien's shoulder, a small, rather uncharacteristic smile on his face. "I think I understand where this is going. So you wanted to give her a gift?"

"Yeah… I also invited her to the show next weekend, if that's okay. I thought she would enjoy seeing the new designs."

"Hm." Gabriel stood from the couch, prompting Adrien to follow. With Adrien's recent growth spurt, the two were very nearly the same height. "Adrien?"

"Yes, Father?"

"Do you remember the day your mother left us?"

"Yes, Father." Adrien looked down at his feet at the memory.

Gabriel pulled Adrien into a sudden hug; it took Adrien a moment to respond, but he returned the hug readily. He still wasn't entirely used to Gabriel showing affection, but the man seemed to have relaxed some since telling Adrien about his relationship with his former assistant. When Gabriel broke the hug, he pulled back, holding his son's shoulders as he looked Adrien in the eye. "I want you to approach this relationship with both eyes open, do you understand? I don't want to see you hurt the same way we were."

"Father, Marinette's not like that! And it's not like we're getting married; we aren't even really dating yet…"

"I know. Just… keep that in mind. And also remember that your loyalty first and foremost is to the company and your family. If this relationship turns out to be an issue…" Gabriel let the unspoken threat hang in the air.

Adrien cast his eyes downward; he still couldn't bring himself to put up much of a fight against his father's demands. "I understand, Father."

"Good. I'm looking forward to meeting her again next weekend."

Adrien smiled faintly. "I'm sure you'll love her, Father."

"I hope so."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Gabriel not being a total shitstain of a father for once in his life??? (Don't get me wrong he's still a shitty dad he's just slightly less shitty than usual.)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of the fashion show is here! What happens when the event is interrupted by an Akuma attack?

The next week seemed to pass by in a blur; between school, Ladybug duties, and working on her dress for the fashion show, Marinette was lucky to get five hours of sleep a night. But unlike the week before, when the dread of the standardized testing had dragged her down, she felt light as a feather despite the relative lack of sleep.

When Saturday rolled around, Marinette was just putting the finishing touches on her dress, hand-stitching the green embroidery along the neckline. The dress itself was a fairly simple knee-length, one-shoulder black dress, with leather-edged horsehair ruffles giving the skirt some dimension. On the bodice, playful embroidery brought to mind one particular feline superhero. As always, Marinette stitched in her signature, letting it flow into the design running down the side of the bodice under the single shoulder strap. She tied off the thread, snipped the excess down, and stepped back to survey her handiwork. "Well, Alya, what do you think?" she asked, turning to her best friend.

"I think… it looks amazing! This has definitely got to be some of your best work yet!" Alya, on her part, was already dressed for the evening, opting for a burgundy-colored full-length jumpsuit with a tie waist that offset her hair beautifully. Said hair was up in curlers at the moment, while Marinette's was still unstyled, a messy topknot keeping it mostly out of the way. "And you finished just in time, too—we only have three hours to get ready before we have to leave."

" _M_ _erde,_  is it really that late already?" Marinette whimpered as she looked at the clock, confirming that it was already after four. "All right, I'm going to jump in the shower really quick, and then we can finish your hair before we do mine."

"Sounds good, girl! See you in a few minutes."

* * *

Marinette slipped into her strappy pumps, wrapping one of her mom's black faux-fur stoles around her shoulders for warmth as the girls put on the finishing touches. The choker Adrien gave her nestled right at her collarbone, the green stones in the pendant pairing beautifully with the embroidery just below. "I feel like that should be a bell instead of a pendant," Alya teased Marinette gently. "That way Adrien knows where you are at all times."

Marinette giggled, an embarrassed flush visible even through her makeup. "I don't think Adrien's really the collaring type… Now, if it was Chat Noir, I wouldn't be surprised."

Alya's eyes widened in shock at the innuendo, but she burst out into laughter a moment later. "Oh my god, Marinette! Since when do you have such a dirty mind?"

"I guess _someone_ is rubbing off on me," Marinette said pointedly. "Or am I not the one you confide to regularly when it comes to your love life?"

"Touché. I'll give you that one." The two girls hustled downstairs, where Nino was waiting with his car. Being the oldest of their friend group, he was the first to get his license, and his side gigs as a DJ allowed him to afford to get a car. It wasn't a top-of-the-line model by any means, but it was better than public transportation or walking. "Ooh, don't you clean up nice?" Alya asked as she slid into the front seat alongside her boyfriend, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thanks, babe—you look pretty foxy yourself." Nino gave Alya a wink. Marinette didn't miss the glare and subtle tilt of the head that Alya gave Nino in return, figuring that it was in response to the "foxy" comment.

For once in his life, Nino wasn't wearing his hat, though Marinette could see it tossed into the back seat alongside his peacoat. He had on a nice button-down with a waistcoat and tie paired with dark-wash jeans and a leather belt. "You look very nice too, Marinette," Nino added as he pulled away from the bakery. "Adrien's going to have a heart attack when he sees you."

"That's the idea," Alya replied, turning up the heater and crossing her arms over her chest for warmth. The night was clear, but cold, temperatures already in the single digits Celsius now that it was past sunset.

"Okay, so I'm headed to the _Paris Expo Porte de Versailles_ , right?"

"Yeah, that's it. Adrien said there will be people directing traffic, so we just have to show them these badges. Apparently we get special parking, too." She pulled the three VIP badges out of her clutch, handing one to each of her friends and keeping the third for herself. She slipped the lanyard over her head, nestling it under her wrap.

"Damn, I knew Adrien and his dad were, like, famous and all? But I had no idea that things were going to be this cushy tonight."

"Yeah, have you read these passes, Marinette?"Alya asked, looking down at the fine print on the back of the badge. "We get free VIP parking, special seating, free appetizers and drinks, the works! I bet this is what it feels like to be Jagged Stone."

"I heard a rumor that he might actually be here tonight, actually. Another DJ I see around sometimes has a cousin whose best friend is acquaintances with Jagged Stone's agent, and he said Jagged had some big party to go to."

"If he's there, I'll have to say hi," Marinette replied absently, staring out the window. She was starting to feel nervous, the butterflies building up in the pit of her stomach. Even though she didn't have any of her work on display in the fashion show, this was still a huge event, and she was wearing a dress of her own design. What if some famous designer said it was horrible? What if Audrey Bourgeois was there and she called it a failure? _What if Adrien didn't like it?_

"Hello! Earth to Marinette!" Marinette jumped as she snapped out of her thoughts, looking toward Alya, who had turned in her seat to look back at her friend.

"Sorry, Alya, what's up?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to grab a bite before we go, since we have time, but you look like you're about to be sick. What's wrong?"

"Oh, you know… just nerves, that's all."

"Marinette, honey… you look banging, your dress is lit and you're just going as an guest, not as a designer. You have nothing to worry about. If Adrien doesn't declare his undying love for you tonight, the boy has way more serious problems in his future."

Marinette gave Alya a small, wan smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Alya. But I am kind of going as a designer. There's always someone there who asks the VIPs, 'Who are you wearing?' If I tell them I designed my dress myself and people don't like it, that could mean my design career is ending before it even begins."

Alya reached out a hand toward Marinette, who took it; Alya squeezed her fingers comfortingly. "I highly doubt that. You're a talented designer! Even _if_ this dress doesn't dazzle people—which I think it will—you still have a lot to offer in other departments. Your hats, your purses and bags? I mean, you designed Jagged Stone's glasses that one time, right?" When Marinette nodded in confirmation, Alya continued, "So if formal dresses aren't your thing, then you design what you _do_ know that you do well!"

"That's true; thanks, Alya. I needed that." Marinette let go of Alya's hand and leaned back into her seat, tucking her arms back up under her wrap for warmth. She looked back out the window, watching the city lights go by, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.

* * *

The trio decided to forgo a food stop for the sake of getting to the venue early; it ended up being a blessing, as traffic was absolutely snarled in the vicinity of the _Paris Expo Porte de Versailles._ It was already close to 8 when Nino pulled off of the road, spotting a sign for "VIP Parking." With a flash of their badges, the guard waved them on. "Pull up to the side of the building over there and a valet will take your car from there," the guard explained.

"Valet parking?" Nino glanced back at Marinette through the rearview mirror; the midnight-haired girl shrugged in confusion. "Damn, this really is fancy. I could get used to this." Pulling up to the building, a young man in a red vest approached them. The three teens all climbed out of the car, Nino passing the keys to the valet along with a five-Euro bill. " _Merci beaucoup_ ," the valet replied with a bow, hopping in the driver's seat and pulling away from the curb.

"Wow, this is kind of incredible," Alya said. Just ahead of them was a red carpet, paparazzi lining both sides snapping photos while Nadja Chamack interviewed a group of people for the local TV news station. "Oh, shit—isn't that Chloé and her parents?"

Marinette's head whipped around, spotting two familiar-looking blondes standing near an older man with a red, white and blue sash wrapped around his torso. "God damn it… I was _really_ hoping not to run into them… I should have figured they would be here."

"Hey, Marinette, it's okay! Just keep your head up and don't let them see you sweat." Alya reached up and unhooked the clasp holding Marinette's wrap closed, revealing the embroidery on her dress. "No matter what, you created this. Your hard work deserves recognition. All right?"

Marinette couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Alya. I needed to hear that." Shaking her head and straightening her back, she led the group of three toward the red carpet.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! What are _you_ doing here?" Marinette clenched her teeth to maintain a smile at the sound of Chloé's voice.

"Hello, Chloé. We were invited by Adrien personally," she replied, gesturing to the VIP badge hanging from her neck.

Chloé looked at Marinette, Alya and Nino behind her, then turned away with a sniff as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Well... I hope you have a good night, then," she muttered under her breath.

"Chloé, who are these children? Do you know them?" Audrey Bourgeois pulled her sunglasses down, peering at the teens over them. "Oh—You're that girl, the one who made the feather hat, aren't you?"

"Yes, Mme. Bourgeois." Marinette straightened up a bit more as Alya poked her in the back, tugging her wrap off of her shoulders to fully expose the embroidery.

"Your dress is… fantastic! That embroidery work is impeccable. Who is your designer?" Audrey asked.

" _Mère!_ You can't be serious!" Chloé whined, stomping her foot. "Her dress is so, so... "

"It's inspired, is what it is! Tell me, did you design this yourself?" Audrey continued.

"Yes, _madame_. I was actually inspired by the necklace, you see." Marinette reached up and touched the pendant hanging from around her neck.

"Oh, yes, I can see the influence! The color selection is fantastic, and the texture of the ruffles is divine compared to the smooth embroidery. Well done!"

Marinette's whole face was flushed under Audrey's praise, though only a faint glow came through under her makeup. "Thank you, _madame._ " She looked toward the door, realizing that Nino and Alya had gone ahead of them. "I need to be getting back to my friends, but thank you again."

Audrey nodded; with that signal, Marinette made her way around the rest of the people on the red carpet as politely as she could until she got to the door leading inside the building. Through the glass, she could see Alya and Nino talking to Adrien, who was dressed to the nines in an impeccably tailored black suit with leather detailing.

"Gee, thanks so much for having my back, guys," Marinette said as she walked up, shoving herself between Alya and Nino and giving them both a playful elbow.

"Why would you need us to have your back? Clearly you handled yourself out there just fine!" Alya replied. "Chloé looked like she was going to combust when her mom started praising your dress."

Marinette couldn't help but giggle at the mental image of Chloé exploding like a firework. Turning to Adrien, she smiled shyly, entangling her fingers behind her back. "So… what do you think, Adrien?"

The blond just started at Marinette dumbly for a long moment until Nino sidled over. "I think he might be broken," the bespectacled young man said, reaching out to poke his friend in the side of the ribs. Adrien jumped in surprise, shaking his head. "Are you with us now, dude?"

"Y-yeah, sorry… Marinette, you look… _wow_." Adrien seemed to be awestruck by Marinette's appearance.

Marinette's flush became even more pronounced at Adrien's praise. "I'm glad you like it."

"And you're wearing the necklace," Adrien said, his voice soft.

"Of course. It's part of the reason i designed this dress specifically."

"This is the dress you were talking about? And you made it in a week? Marinette, that's incredible!"

"Thanks, Adrien. That means a lot, coming from you."

"Adrien? Andrien, where are—oh, there you are." Nathalie walked up to the group, her noticeably pregnant stomach covered with a soft empire-waisted dress in a navy blue color. "The show is about to start. You're needed in the back."

"Okay, Nathalie, I'll be right there." Adrien turned back to his friends. "You guys are going to be right up at the front; any of the ushers can lead you to your seats. I'll try to come out and sit with you guys if I get the chance."

"Are you modeling tonight, Adrien?" Alya asked.

Adrien shook his head. "Thankfully, no. I'll probably have to come out on stage with Father and M. Spadafora at some point, but I won't be wearing any of the designs."

"Oh, that's too bad. I know Marinette always likes to see you on the catwalk." Adrien's eyes widened for a split second before he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Sorry to disappoint. Maybe next time. I'll see you guys later!" With that, Adrien turned and walked away, leaving the other three teens alone.

"Guess we should find our seats, if the show is about to start, huh?"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Nino replied. "Marinette, since this was all because of you, why don't you lead us?"

"Oh, all right." Marinette headed toward where the seating area was set up, creating a U-shape around a temporary raised stage with a catwalk jutting out of it. Around the perimeter of the seating area, more men in red vests waited to lead guests to their seats. "Hello, we're in the VIP Section?" Marinette said questioningly to the nearest usher.

"Of course, _mademoiselle_. Right this way." The usher led the three down to the very front on the left side, into a seating area marked off with red velvet ropes.

Rather than standard folding seats, the area was furnished with soft, cushy-looking couches, a handful of waiters holding trays of champagne glasses and _hors d'oeuvres_. Marinette could see the Bourgeois family sitting in a similarly-furnished area on the opposite side of the catwalk. "Oh, thank God we don't have to sit with them," Marinette whispered to Alya and Nino. "I think I would have had a heart attack."

"Yeah, I don't think I could handle an entire night of sitting with them, even if we didn't have to speak to one another." Alya glanced over to see Nino already stuffing his face, giving a heavy, long-suffering sigh. "Why don't you go find us a seat? I need to get my boyfriend before he makes a fool of himself."

"Sounds good." Some of the couches had already been claimed, but there was one couch right up at the front that was still empty. Marinette hurried over, using her wrap and Nino's suit coat to save seats for the other two. Glancing down the row of couches, she spotted some familiar faces—and a very familiar crocodile. "Jagged Stone! Penny! It's great to see you!"

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng! It's wonderful to see you, doll," Jagged Stone said as Marinette made her way closer to their sofa. "What are you doing here? Do you have some designs in the show? Killer dress by the way. Very Rock and Roll. Made it yourself, I presume?"

Marinette couldn't help but laugh, unable to get a word in edgewise until Jagged stopped to take a sip of champagne. "I was invited by my friend Adrien; his father is the owner of _Gabriel_ Fashion, so they're hosting the show. No, I don't have any designs in the show itself, but yes, I did make this dress. I'm glad you like it!"

Penny smiled gratefully at Marinette for coming over, struggling to hold Fang's leash as he tried to climb up onto the sofa with them. "I'm glad you're here, Marinette. Jagged is working on a new album, and he actually wanted to ask if you'd be willing to design another album cover for him."

"Really? I'd love to!"

"Great! I believe I still have your email, so I'll send you some of the tracks we have recorded so far so you can get a feel for the album's sound. Do you think you can have the cover done in, say, two weeks?"

"I can definitely do my best! I look forward to getting the email from you."

"That's what I like to hear!" Jagged piped up, leaning over and scratching Fang on the head. "Who's a good boy, who's a good boy?" he baby-talked to the enormous crocodile.

Penny couldn't help but smile at the man, who was now sliding off the sofa to sit on his knees in front of his pet. "Thank you again, Marinette, and tell your parents thank you for hosting us last time.  Oh, and if you see Ladybug, will you thank her for me as well?"

"Wh-what makes you think I would see Ladybug?" Marinette asked quickly, tucking her hands behind her dress to hide the sudden shaking of nervousness.

"Well, because you live here, and we don't. We fly back to the States first thing in the morning for more recording."

"Oh—of course! That makes sense. I'll definitely let her know if I see her."

"Thanks, Marinette. It looks like your friends are back, so we won't keep you, but it was great seeing you!"

"Great seeing all of you too! Good-bye, Fang!" she specifically said to the crocodile, who turned its head and lolled its tongue out at Marinette almost like a dog. With a giggle, Marinette returned to the other end of the VIP section, where Alya and Nino had taken up station on the couch she'd reserved.

"Well, would you look at that?" Alya commented. "Nino's friend was actually right!" She took a sip of her glass of champagne.

"Yeah, I guess so. Honestly I thought his 'information' was pretty sketchy, but he was right for once."

"I'm not surprised," Marinette replied. "He _is_ a celebrity, after all. Celebrities tend to get invited to these sort of events."

"True." Alya handed Marinette a glass of champagne, but the midnight-haired girl waved it off. Shrugging, Alya finished off her own and then started on the second. "So when is this thing supposed to start?"

"I think any minute now." As if on cue, the lights in the exhibition hall dimmed, twin projection screens rising on the back of the stage. A video started to play, showing drone footage of Paris on the left screen with footage of what Marinette presumed to be Milan on the right. A female voice started to speak in English:

_"Paris and Milan. Two cities separated by over 600 kilometers, a mountain range between them—yet never before have they been closer than they are today."_

The drone footage on the Paris side closed in on the Eiffel Tower, while the Milan side focused on a massive Gothic cathedral. With both landmarks on screen, the _Gabriel_ logo and Spadafora Leatherworks logos appeared, superimposed over their respective cities.

_"With the collaboration between Milan's own Spadafora Leatherworks and Paris's crown jewel, Gabriel Fashion, these two cities are coming together like never before."_

Twin spotlights came up, focusing on either end of the stage. From the Paris side, Gabriel and Adrien stepped out; Gabriel was wearing a similar suit to Adrien's, both impeccably tailored, showing off the family resemblance between father and son. On the Milan side, Vincenzo Spadafora walked out with his own twin children, his bald head gleaming under the spotlight, contrasting with his blue-tinted sunglasses and dark goatee. Gabriel and Vincenzo approached the center of the stage, shaking hands and then embracing like old friends as if to show the closeness of the collaboration between their companies. The crowd erupted into cheers at the sight, the screens going black except for the combined logos for the new collection that would be premiering in France for the first time.

Gabriel began to speak, his voice amplified by the microphone clipped to his lapel. "Good evening everyone; thank you all for coming. It is my great honor and pleasure to introduce to you, for those who may not recognize him, the president and CEO of Spadafora Leatherworks, Vincenzo Spadafora." The bald man gave a wave at the introduction.

"Like _Gabriel_ , Spadafora is a family brand. The Spadafora family has raised cattle in central Italy for over ten generations. When I first visited Vincenzo's family's cattle ranch in Tuscany, I knew they had something special going there. However, the Spadafora legacy has spread farther than just the family ranch. The Spadafora Leatherworks global headquarters in Milan is where the real magic happens. Tuscan leather is turned into high-end accessories fit for any fashion-forward individual, and the company is spearheading the development of eco-conscious faux leathers that are truly indistinguishable by the naked eye. That was when I knew that the Spadafora and Gabriel companies could create something truly special. And that is what we bring you tonight." The crowd broke into applause and cheers once again. "Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Thank you so much." The two families split off, heading backstage, while the spotlights reset for the start of the show.

"This is so cool!" Alya hissed in Marinette's ear as the music started, a deep thrumming bass practically shaking the floor. Marinette just nodded, her eyes trained on the stage, watching the first handful of models walk out to show off the collaborative designs.

"I wish I would have brought my sketchbook!" Marinette replied, more to herself than to Alya. Her fingers were itching to draw, to create, inspiration striking at the most inopportune time.

"What do you think, Nino?" Alya turned to her boyfriend.

"I think whoever is in charge of the sound needs to turn the bass down a bit, or they're going to blow out the subwoofers," the DJ replied, wrinkling his nose. "I can barely hear the treble over the shaking of the bass line."

"Well, you're no fun either." Alya took another sip of her champagne, tucking her other hand under her arm.

Marinette looked over at Alya apologetically. "Sorry, this really is awesome! I can see all of the little details from here. It's just making me want to draw!"

"That's fair!" Alya conceded. "So what makes this stuff so special anyway?"

"Well, from what I've been able to find out, Spadafora has been able to make a faux leather that feels and acts like real leather. The only way to tell the difference is under a microscope or with other scientific equipment."

"Oh, that's neat!" Marinette nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I'm actually kind of surprised there wasn't a crowd of protesters outside when we pulled up—stuff like this can sometimes draw those kinds of people, you know?"

"Yeah, I've seen stuff on TV before, especially around Fashion Week. Isn't that part of the reason why the locations of some of the events is kept private?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. Also the secrecy helps to protect the different fashion houses from having competitors rip off their designs."

"Oh right! That's, like, a big deal in the design world, isn't it?"

Marinette nodded again. "Yeah. All of the major fashion houses have their employees and models sign things like non-disclosure agreements, and some of them even require non-compete clauses."

"Wow. That's pretty serious. Is the fashion world really that cutthroat?"

"You have no idea."

All of a sudden, from behind the seating area, a loud crashing sound interrupted the show, a sudden chill coming into the exhibition hall from the blown-off front doors. Standing in the entryway was a villain whose outfit seemed to span myriad different fashions, ranging from a Renaissance-style neck ruffle to bell-bottom jeans. In one hand, she held a large, feather quill, which seemed to glow with dark magical essence. **_"Peasants! I am Villainista! Turn over Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous to me at once, or suffer the consequences!"_ **

Screams erupted at the sight of the villain, the mass of people in the exhibition hall running for the exit on the opposite side of the room. However, before some of them could get out of range, a beam of the dark energy shot out of the pointed end of the quill, striking the victims. At the moment of impact, they froze in place for a moment, before righting themselves and approaching the villain. "Is there anything we can do for you, Mme. Villainista? Anything at all! Just say the word!"

 **_"Bring me Ladybug and Chat Noir at once!"_ **  Villainista ordered her simpering slaves.

"Yes, Mme. Villainista! At once!"

Marinette, Alya, and Nino watched the exchange with horror in their eyes, but before any of them could react, Adrien ran over and grabbed Marinette by the hand. "Come on! You need to get somewhere safe!"

"Adrien!" Marinette's eyes widened as she was dragged bodily away from the VIP area. "Forget about me, _you_ need to get somewhere safe too!"

"Come on, I know a hiding spot. You can wait there for Ladybug and Chat Noir to get here and take care of the villain."

"What about Nino and Alya?" Marinette looked over her shoulder for her friends.

"I saw them running away too. Come on, this way." Marinette started running under her own power, following Adrien, his grip still firm on her hand. On the far end of the exhibition hall, Adrien opened the door to a supply closet, shoving Marinette inside. "Stay here until I come get you, all right?" Adrien said.

"But, Adrien," Marinette started, but the blond interrupted her with a quick kiss to her lips.

"Please. For me." Marinette nodded mutely as Adrien closed the door between them. As soon as she heard his footsteps running away, she opened her purse, Tikki flying out.

"I don't know what just happened, but there's an Akuma outside, and we need to take care of it. Tikki, spots on!" A flash of light filled the supply closet as Marinette transformed into Ladybug. She opened the door and darted outside without looking—only to run smack-dab into a solid chest. A very familiar chest.

Chat Noir stood in front of her, a knowing smile on his lips. "I was hoping it was you, My Lady."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ohhhhhhhhhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit
> 
> Outfit inspiration pictures!  
> Marinette: https://di2ponv0v5otw.cloudfront.net/posts/2018/04/15/5ad385802ab8c5b2c67afe6a/m_5ad38597a825a65d1336c3b6.jpg  
> Alya: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d2/a7/24/d2a7248e8fbbba3ddb31b6519c2e7d0c.jpg  
> Nino: https://img.staticbg.com/images/upload/2014/09/SKU154582/9.jpg  
> Nathalie: https://www.pinkblushmaternity.com/images/product/maternity/large/38228_1_.jpg


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The secret is out--how will it impact our heroes?

Ladybug looked at Chat, dumbstruck, unable to move. She thought she had heard Adrien's footsteps as he left, but yet Chat was right there, as if waiting for her.

 _But_ , she realized, _the scent of Camembert never faded._ In that moment, Chat's words clicked inside her head and her mouth dropped open. "It _is_ you! Chat—Adrien—we don't have time for this! We have to handle the Akuma!"

"You're right. We can talk later." Chat and Ladybug hurried back to the main portion of the exhibition hall, where the villain's enslaved victims had spread out across the room.

"I heard a rumor that someone was looking for us!" Chat called out, his voice loud enough to draw the villain's attention. "That wouldn't be you, now, would it?"

 **_"Ladybug and Chat Noir! Get them, my slaves!"_ ** Villainista cried, gesturing toward the heroes with her quill. The zombie-like victims started to rush toward Ladybug and Chat, who leapt up onto the stage in an effort to gain some higher ground.

"I sure hope you have a plan, _Chaton_." Ladybug spun her yo-yo rapidly to create a shield between them and the victims who were clambering up onto the end of the catwalk. Chat was right at her back, using his extended baton to push people back out of arm's reach.

"I think the Akuma is in her quill—it seems to be the source of her power. If I can get close enough, I can dust that feather with my Cataclysm."

"All right, but we're going to need some more backup—she's gotten control of way too many people, we can't hold them off much longer."

"Did someone call for backup?" a familiar voice called from above. Looking upward, Ladybug spotted two familiar figures standing on a steel beam that ran along the top of the stage, holding some of the lights. Rena Rouge and Carapace grinned as they hopped down to join Ladybug and Chat. "Hope we aren't too late to the party, Ladybug!"

"Actually, you're right on time. We need to get these victims rounded up safely to clear a path for Chat Noir to get to the villain. We think the Akuma is in her quill."

"Got it. I think Carapace and I can handle that, right?" She glanced over at her green-clad partner, who nodded in agreement.

"Definitely, Lady-dude. Leave the zombie corralling to us." Rena and Carapace used their flute and shield, respectively, to push the crowd back as gently as possible, slowly working them into one corner of the room.

"All right, _Chaton_ , that leaves you and me. Let's see how we can get you over to her… _Lucky Charm!"_ Tossing her yo-to into the air, Ladybug released her magic, the power of creation granting her… a binder full of paper? "What in the world…?" Looking around, her vision focused in on Chat, the support beams running along the ceiling of the exhibition hall, and the villain's quill. "Chat, I think you need to get her to sign this somehow." She handed the binder over to him, which he opened and flipped through quickly.

"Oh, I see what this is! I'm all o- _fur_ it!" Chat used his baton to launch himself into the air, crouching and walking along the support beams until he could drop directly in front of the villain. "Madame Villainista! I've got a brand-new contract here for you! It gives you full rights to work at any fashion house in Paris, plus fifty percent commission on any of your designs that are created and sold!"

Ladybug's eyes widened in surprise as the villain fell for the ruse hook, line, and sinker—despite seeing the purple butterfly appear over her face as Hawk Moth tried to talk her out of it. She leaned down and used her quill to sign her name, at which point Chat reached out lightning-quick and snatched the pen from her hand. "Cataclysm!" he cried out, the feather dissolving into a black decayed mass.

Ladybug took that as her cue. "No more evil-doing for you, little Akuma! Time to de-evilize!" She launched her yo-yo across the room to catch the black butterfly that appeared out of the remains of the quill. "Gotcha!" She retracted the yo-yo into her hand with a grin, touching the top to release the purified butterfly. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!"

Ladybug hopped down from the stage, walking over to Chat, who was helping the former villain to her feet. The Akuma's dark magic had faded, leaving behind a very confused and embarrassed young woman. Picking up the binder, Ladybug tossed it into the air with her usual cry of _"Miraculous Ladybug!"_ to free the other victims from their mind control and put everything back to rights.

Chat offered the woman a hand up, and she tucked her short brown hair behind her ear, "I'm so sorry, Ladybug, Chat Noir… I never meant for any of this to happen."

"It's quite alright. Do you mind if we ask what happened?"

"O-oh, well, you see… I've been working for Spadafora as an intern, and was hoping to get a full-time job with the company here in Paris, but I found out tonight that my internship was being terminated… and because I signed a non-compete clause as part of the internship, it's going to be next to impossible for me to get another job in the industry back home..."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Chat said softly. "I don't know how things work in Italy, but at least here in France, usually those non-compete clauses have a time limit. They're to protect the company from having their secrets revealed to competitors. You may want to ask your supervisor what the terms are on the one you signed so you have a better idea of what your next step should be."

The woman nodded. "Thanks. I'm not sure how you know so much about the fashion industry, but that sounds like a step in the right direction, at least."

"Just call it one of my nine lives," he replied with a grin. As if on cue, his and Ladybug's Miraculous both chirped in warning. "We'd better be off."

"Right," Ladybug agreed. "Good luck in your future! I'm sure you'll be able to find a new job doing something you love!" The two heroes joined back up with Rena and Carapace to find safe places to transform back into their civilian identities. Once they'd found Rena and Carapace a secluded closet, Chat took Ladybug by the hand, leading her around to a staff entrance into the back hallways of the exhibition hall.

"My Lady…" Chat started, but faltered, uncharacteristically without words. Ladybug couldn't help but smile at the nervousness on Chat's face.

"Cat got your tongue, _Chaton_?" she teased, hoping that lightening the atmosphere a bit would help both of them feel less nervous.

It seemed to do the trick, as Chat grinned lasciviously, falling back into his old flirtatious ways. "Hmm… Maybe not a cat, but a certain _bug_ certainly does." He stepped even closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face into her hair. "You can have whatever part of me you want, though."

"Even… your heart?" Ladybug asked softly, her breath coming short as her own heart started to beat double time from their closeness.

"You've had that since the day we met, _Princess_ ," Chat whispered, making it abundantly clear he knew exactly who was behind that polka-dotted mask.

Ladybug and Chat called for their Kwami at the same moment:

"Tikki, spots off…" "Plagg, claws in."

Adrien took a half-step back to look at Marinette properly, bringing a hand up to cup her cheek. "I didn't get to tell you properly earlier, but you look _incredible_ tonight."

Marinette's cheeks flushed and she cast her gaze down, away from Adrien's brilliant face. "Thanks… you clean up pretty nice, yourself."

At that, Adrien let out a huff of laughter, pulling Marinette bodily into his arms and picking her up to spin her around. She squealed with surprise before breaking out into laughter herself. "Put me down!" she cried out between giggles. "We need to go find Alya and Nino, they're probably worried sick about me."

"I think they're just fine, Bugaboo," Adrien replied. "They're probably making out in that broom closet we left them in."

"Yeah, you're prob— _wait_ a minute, how did you know…?" Marinette looked up at Adrien, furrowing her brow in accusation.

"Don't get mad at me! I figured it out the night that Carapace and I were on patrol together. He really needs to get better about not revealing so much about his civilian life."

"What did he tell you?"

"Just that it was his girlfriend who he was saving from Anansi, and then that he knew his girlfriend was Rena Rouge."

Marinette sighed, smacking her forehead with her palm. "Damn it, and I even told him he needed to keep that sort of stuff to himself."

" _Weeellll…_ I'm kind of the one who started the whole conversation to start with, so it wasn't _entirely_ his fault," Adrien admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "But anyway! You're right, we need to get back out there before someone comes looking for us."

"You're not off the hook, but we can continue this conversation later." Marinette narrowed her eyes at him once more, but didn't say anything else as she started to make her way back out to the exhibition hall.

Adrien just followed after Marinette, an awestruck look in his eyes as he watched her. "You know, I really can't believe it took me this long to put two and two together," he commented absently.

"What does that mean?" she asked him, turning to look at him over her shoulder.

"It means I've always felt like you reminded me of Ladybug. It just took this whole Kwami-smell-power thing to make me realize why."

"You're welcome for that, by the way!" Adrien and Marinette both jumped at the sound of Plagg's voice behind them, making Tikki giggle from beside the black cat Kwami. "Geez, kid, you have _no idea_ how hard it was for me to keep this a secret! You were _so oblivious!_ "

"Wait, so you knew?" Adrien asked Plagg. "And you never told me?"

"I couldn't tell you, kid. If I did, Tikki was gonna kill me." Tikki nodded in agreement. "Besides, seeing you agonize over your feelings for both Marinette and Ladybug was _hilarious_."

"How did you find out?" Adrien asked.

" _How_ many times did you two de-transform in front of each other?" Adrien flushed in embarrassment—he'd been so caught up in his surprise that he'd totally forgotten about the several instances when circumstance had led to them needing to de-transform. "But we met officially when you were glitter-fied by blonde girl's mom."

"And Adrien and I officially met just a few weeks ago; the day you were knocked out in the bathroom," Tikki added to Marinette.

"That makes sense. I wondered how you'd gotten back to the house with me. You must have found Chat and led him right to me." Tikki nodded in confirmation.

"The hard part was not letting him see me get back in your purse, or unlocking the skylight for him to get you into your room."

"Anyway, this is not us getting back out to the show," Adrien pointed out. "The four of us can have a nice, long conversation about everything later."

"Agreed. You two hurry back out there now!" Tikki and Plagg took back to their respective hiding places.

Adrien turned to Marinette, holding out his arm. With a smile, Marinette wrapped her hand around it, allowing him to lead her back out to the VIP area. Nino and Alya were just getting back as well, though Alya's curls were a bit messy and Nino's tie was loose around his neck. "What were you two doing, making out during the Akuma attack?" Adrien asked with a chuckle. The two had the decency to flush scarlet.

"No! We did not make out during the attack! ...We waited until afterward," Alya replied. "What about you two? We saw you drag Marinette off, Adrien, but then you two were gone for a while. Where did you go?"

"We were hiding in the staff halls at the back of the building," Adrien explained smoothly. "I'm going to go check on my father and M. Spadafora, make sure everything's okay." He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to Marinette's cheek before letting go of her arm and walking off.

Marinette smiled dreamily as she watched him go, bringing a hand up to touch the spot where he'd kissed her. However, she was yanked out of her reverie by Alya pulling her down onto the couch. " _What was that?!"_ she screeched.

"Well… some things happened while we were back there," Marinette replied rather cryptically.

"Some _things_? What kinds of things?" Alya gasped and covered her mouth. "Did he confess or did you? Who said it first?"

"It was… kind of a mutual thing, actually. Honestly, I'm not entirely certain where we stand… but I'm pretty sure we're dating now?"

"Girl! I'm so proud of you!" Alya squealed as she wrapped her arms around Marinette in a fierce hug. "I knew you had it in you!"

"Thanks, Alya." Before Marinette could say more, the lights dimmed once again, the music starting back up. "Oh, they must be getting the show going again!"

Rather than Gabriel or M. Spadafora coming onto the stage, it was actually Adrien, holding a microphone in his hand. "Good evening, everyone. I want to apologize for the incident earlier. Thankfully, we have some great heroes in this town, don't we?" The crowd cheered; Marinette could have sworn she saw Adrien wink in her direction. "My father, Gabriel Agreste, was called away for an emergency, but as they say in theatre, 'The show must go on.' So please sit back, relax, and enjoy the rest of the show!" Adrien smiled and waved to the crowd, whose thunderous applause continued for another minute or so after he left the stage. While the models returned to the catwalk, Adrien slunk in to rejoin his friends.

"I'm sorry to hear about your dad, Adrien," Marinette said as soon as he had sat down with them on the sofa. "Is everything okay?"

"I think so. The Gorilla told me he and Nathalie had to leave in a hurry; that's all I know."

"I wonder if it had anything to do with the baby?" Alya asked aloud, while Nino replied, "Wait, the Gorilla can talk?"

Adrien just laughed, putting his arm around Marinette's shoulders, enjoying the fact that he could be as close to her as he wanted. "Yes, Nino, the Gorilla can talk. And I expect we'll find out at the after-party Father is throwing at the house tonight. You all are invited to come, if you want."

"Sounds like fun! We wouldn't miss a chance to hang out with you more, dude."

"I'm with Nino on that one," Alya added.

"Marinette? Are you in?"

"Hmm… I don't know; I have had a pretty busy week, maybe I'll call it a night early." When Adrien gave Marinette a crestfallen pout, she giggled and poked him in the shoulder. "Kidding! Of course I'll be there."

"Good. I'm glad." Adrien smiled, his relief palpable.

It was nearly 23:00 by the time Nino pulled his car off to park in front of the Agreste home on _Place du Châtelet_. Adrien had ridden home with the Gorilla, so he was already waiting at the gate for the other three to arrive. "Come on in, guys!" he said with a smile as they crossed the street toward the house.

"Hello again, Adrien! Did you find out about your father and Nathalie?" Alya asked.

Adrien nodded. "Apparently Nathalie was having some pain, but she was able to get off her feet and she's doing a lot better now. She's resting upstairs."

"That's good! I'm glad it wasn't anything serious."

"Me too. Oh! Marinette, I want Father to see your dress. Is that okay?"

"O-oh, sure, Adrien."

"Great!" Adrien took Marinette by the hand, practically dragging her for the second time that night, while Alya and Nino meandered their way into the house. Adrien led Marinette toward the back of the entryway, which had been set up with some cocktail tables holding food and drinks, where Gabriel and Vincenzo Spadafora were conversing in Italian. When Gabriel saw Adrien walk up with Marinette, he muttered a quick apology to the bald man before turning to his son. "Ah, Adrien. Vincenzo was just telling me what an admirable job you did stepping up to continue the show tonight."

"Thank you, Father," Adrien replied with a smile, warming under his father's praise. "Father, I actually wanted to introduce you again to Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She's the one I've been telling you about—the designer."

"Yes, I remember," Gabriel said, peering down at Marinette over the rims of his glasses. "Adrien mentioned that he gave one of his mother's pendants to a young lady, but he didn't specify which one. I see he made a good choice."

"Thank you, M. Agreste," Marinette said in a small voice, still somewhat awestruck by Adrien's father after all these years.

"Is this dress one of your designs as well?"

"Yes, sir, it is."

"I quite like it. The contrast of the green embroidery on the black satin is striking. The color scheme seems familiar somehow."

"Ah—actually, I was inspired by the necklace… and also by Chat Noir," Marinette admitted, her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and pride. "I, um, sort of admire him."

Gabriel quirked something of a half-smile at the sentiment. "He is admirable, isn't he? He and Ladybug have both grown over the years."

"Yes, sir."

"Well, we won't keep you from your conversation, Father," Adrien said, feeling oddly protective of Marinette all of a sudden.

"Oh—one more thing." Gabriel reached under the lapel of his suit coat, pulling out a business card. "You will be graduating from _lycée_ in the spring, correct? When you start at _université_ next fall, reach out to us. We will be looking for student interns. With your eye and talent, I think you could be a real asset to the company."

"Th-thank you, sir!" Marinette took the card in both hands, a brilliant smile lighting up her face. Gabriel nearly flinched as he was reminded of another young woman with a smile that never failed to melt his heart.

"Now, you two run along and enjoy yourselves. Adrien, don't keep her out too late."

"Yes, Father." Adrien couldn't help but grin at Marinette as Gabriel turned back to Vincenzo Spadafora and the two resumed their conversation. "Let's go find Alya and Nino and head up to my room. I think we'll have more fun up there than we will down here, surrounded by all these stuffy rich people."

"That's fair. I don't think I've ever actually been in your room before—or, well, I have, but not—you know what I'm trying to say, right?"

Adrien just smiled and kissed Marinette on the cheek again. "I know. And I'm never going to get tired of doing that."

"Me neither." Marinette smiled back, adoration clear in her eyes.

"Oh, there's Alya and Nino." Marinette followed the shift in Adrien's gaze, spotting Alya and Nino over by the _hors d'oeuvres_ table.

"You know, they look kind of busy… what do you say we give them a few minutes, and we head upstairs first?" Marinette asked under her breath, glancing at Adrien out of the corner of her eye.

"Why, Princess, that sounds _paws_ -itively devious of you. I love it." Adrien grinned, tugging Marinette by the hand once again, Marinette allowing herself to be led up the flight of stairs to the second floor.

When the two were alone in Adrien's bedroom, they sat down on the couch, facing one another quietly for a long moment. "So. I have a suggestion,"  Adrien said, pressing a kiss to the back of Marinette's hand. "One of us asks a question, and the other answers truthfully. Deal?"

"Sure. You go first."

"Okay. You know how long I've loved you, My Lady, but how long have you had feelings for me?"

"Since you gave me your umbrella that day at _Françoise Dupont,_ " Marinette replied readily. "Back at the _Expo_ , Plagg said you were struggling with liking both me as Marinette and me as Ladybug. When did you start liking _me,_ as in Marinette?"

Adrien had to think about that one for a moment. "Honestly, it sort of came by degrees. I think the first time that Marinette ever really made my heart skip a beat was when you kissed me at the Heroes' Day picnic. But I really fell for you while we were in _lycée._ " Adrien went quiet for another few moments, trying to think of another question to ask. "Oh, okay, here's a good one. Did you ever have feelings for Chat Noir before you started to suspect that he was me?"

Marinette flushed crimson at that question; unable to bring herself to say it out loud, she merely nodded. "Okay, follow-up question from my previous one: why didn't you date anyone as Adrien while you were in _collège_ or _lycée_? I know there was our double-date at the ice rink, but I don't remember you ever dating Kagami after that, or anyone else, for that matter."

"Partly because of my crazy schedule; partly because I just couldn't bring myself to do it when my feelings for Ladybug were so strong. Now for _my_ follow-up question: When did you start to like Chat?"

"Hmm… probably during the first year of _lycée_ , when you had that growth spurt, and when you kept hanging around my balcony all the time. You kind of… grew on me, I guess."

"And now? How do you feel?" Adrien leaned in closer to Marinette, looking her straight in the eye.

"I think it's my turn to ask a question, Adrien," Marinette breathed, her heart pounding from Adrien's closeness.

"Then ask away."

Marinette's eyes flicked down to Adrien's lips, which were parted just slightly, their mouths only inches away from one another. "Kiss me?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Both teens moved closer in the same moment, their eyes falling shut as their lips met, gently at first. A few heartbeats later, Adrien brought one hand up to cup the back of Marinette's head while the other moved down to her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. Marinette made a soft sound against Adrien's mouth, sliding closer to him on the couch, practically into his lap as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The kiss came as easily to them as breathing, years of being aware of one another meaning that there was no awkwardness to their movement.

"Hey guys, if you're making out in here, you'd better stop it!" Alya called out loudly from the other side of the door; Marinette and Adrien broke apart, practically leaping away from one another until they were at either end of the couch. The door swung open to reveal Alya and Nino, their hands full of plates and cups from downstairs. "Oops; sorry, did we interrupt something?" Alya asked, sounding not at all apologetic.

"W-we were just talking," Marinette stuttered, bringing her hands to her cheeks in an attempt to hide her flush.

"Suuuuure you were." Alya flung herself down next to Marinette while Nino took the spot between his girlfriend and Adrien on the oversized sofa. "Let's watch a movie or something!"

"All right, that sounds like fun," Adrien replied with a chuckle. When he got up to sort through his film collection, Nino and Alya scooted down the couch, opening up the spot next to Marinette for him to sit in.

"Find a scary movie! Marinette _loves_ scary movies, don't you, Marinette?"

" _Alya!"_ Marinette hissed. "Don't listen to her, Adrien, she's just being mean."

"I'm honestly not a huge fan of scary movies, myself," Adrien admitted. "How about an action movie? I have the latest film in the _Majestia_ series!"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome!"

"All right then!" Adrien pulled out the disc and put it into the player, turning the movie on before rejoining his friends—and girlfriend—on the sofa.

As the opening credits rolled, Adrien couldn't help but smile when Marinette leaned against his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her as she snuggled up against him.

Finally, all felt right with the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
> I wrote this story for National Novel Writing Month 2018. I've written--and won--before, but this is the first time that I published my NaNo novel. I really appreciate everyone who read, liked, and reblogged on tumblr! They kept me going and helped me to stay on target with my writing.
> 
> If you're interested in seeing more from this universe, let me know! I've already written some sin in this 'verse, so you can read that next if you want :) but I'm definitely up for writing more!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Thanks for reading!
> 
> This is the revised/edited version of The Nose Knows from [my tumblr.](https://pentakillmaven.tumblr.com) If you'd like to read the story in its entirety, you can find it there. I'll be posting the chapters as I get them edited, so it should all be up within the week. Thanks for your patience!


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